A tremendous SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch lit up the skies Monday evening and left many Las Vegas area residents in awe. The launch, which occurred shortly after 6 p.m. at Vandenberg Airforce Base in Santa Barbara, California, could be seen in the northwest Las Vegas valley, as well as from as far away as Searchlight, Nevada, and northern Arizona.
The bright glow in the sky left viewers puzzled, prompting a flurry of messages and photos sent to 8 News Now from those who spotted the unusual sight. Many viewers, including Sidnee Schaefer, who captured several photos and a video from Summerlin, were captivated by the breathtaking event.
The Falcon 9 rocket was launched in a continuing series of launches for SpaceX as it sends satellites and supplies into space. Though the rocket took off from California, its path of light lit up a broad swath of area, catching people’s attention from across the region.
The rocket’s launch and exhaust plume had lit up the glow of light because it was setting sun time. The effect of the rocket’s trajectory against this dramatic visual effect produced a striking display visible to people in any direction looking up across much of Southern Nevada.
Space launches are not rare, but the recent one has been noticed by almost everybody because it was visible from a large urban territory like Las Vegas. The event was quite similar to past events wherein rocket launchings were witnessed from miles away and gave great awe-inspiring moments to the viewers of cities far away from the launch site.
As the rocket continued on its mission, Las Vegas residents and people from surrounding areas shared their experiences online, with some expressing their surprise and excitement over the unusual spectacle.
SpaceX is renowned for its innovative space exploration efforts and still also continues pushing the boundaries of space travel and technology. Success launches like this particular one here now show the capability of capturing the imagination even thousands of miles away from the launch site.
