SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA : Missile Leaves Colorful Vapor Trail at Sunset
- Share via
A missile launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base left a colorful trail seen by hundreds of Southern Californians from San Diego to Santa Barbara around sunset Tuesday, authorities reported.
Radio and television stations and newspapers reported getting hundreds of calls after the 5:54 p.m. launch of a Minuteman 3 missile from Vandenberg 4,200 miles downrange to Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific.
Air Force Lt. Amy Rogerson said: “It should have been spectacular down there (in Los Angeles). Just before sunset thousands of particles of the missile propellant reflect the sun’s rays and it’s really colorful and can be seen for huge distances.”
She said the firing appeared to be successful.
Observers at Griffith Observatory said they received “several dozen calls, and we referred them to Vandenberg.”
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
