What Kind of rocket is this?

[ocit]

it just appeared a few minutes ago out our back window, anyone familiaR with them know what this kind this could be? at first it looked like a rocket then it sorta looked like it was flowering then it looked like this

That's what the space shuttle looks like on a night launch. Where are you?

[OuTpaTienT]

Not an ICBM I hope.

[ocit]

im in the high desert of california and i hope the shuttle didnt explode cause this thing did!

edit: i just realized that they launch the shuttle from florida most times.

[ocit]

here is another pic i took after the first one, and at the moment the sky is slightly purple where the puff was and the sun has set.

[Admin RR]

I saw it in American Canyon/ Napa california at 7:40pm Pacific time.. Looked like an ICBM to me - long white smoke trail, bright sun reflection (looked like it was near orbit). Travis AFB is calling it a military exercise..

others - please post what you know

[Toadman]

That was a Vandenberg AFB satellite or missile launch. It didn't "explode"(hopefully), just the second-stage ignition to push it into low orbit. Colored contrails is crystalized rocket fuel.
Unannounced SAT launch... interesting....

Nice Pics, btw... A digicam that can pick up starlight is not cheap.

[sharder8]

California --

Multi-stage --

Vandenberg --

Delta3 ??

Watch the news about a successful or failed satellite launch.

Harder

[OuTpaTienT]

It was a Minuteman 3 missle. Test launch from Vandenberg AFB (if I heard all that correctly). They just mentioned it on the radio.

[Admin RR]

Why is this something that no one has seen before? Do they normally launch over water and if so, why was this launched over land to be visible to multiple states?