Temporary unidentified sighting in FL. (Rocket Launch).

[ced0412]

Thought this would be fun and informative to share of a rocket launch sighting from a launch around 300 miles away. I didn't check the rocket track to see where it was when we could see it.

April 21st​ 2025 around 9 PM EST (per the launch time) a group of about 6 including myself were on the balcony watching satellites and the sky and this object that resembled a comet shows up to the ESE.

I removed the audio as we were doing what you do to sky watch at the beach (beer and edibles) and at times we sound like fools.

Initially the consensus was a comet, then I proposed a helicopter dropping flares, then I came to my senses and remembered seeing enough rocket launch videos on r/UFOs for me to look that up and sure enough there was a launch from Cape Canaveral.

I will say if we were not informed this would have been one hell of a UFO sighting because it was really intense, video doesn't do it justice.

The booster dropping was particularly weird to see when you don't know what it is at the time.

Video is too big to host here so shared via Google Drive.


Source: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gxo-XRe9fHuoRWZbAY43DcwP-8FgG89b/view?usp=sharing

 

[NorCal Dave]

That looks like a rough night of UFO watching! We've always fantasized about heading cross country to see a launch at least once in our life. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ann K]

Reminds me of the time they were testing rockets, and we in White Sands, New Mexico would get a phone call from Green River, Utah (hundreds of miles north) to say they'd launched. That was the signal to go outside and look at the North Star. Six minutes later there were TWO "North Stars", and we would watch them stage, then the first stage burn up as it re-entered the atmosphere.

 

[JMartJr]

I've seen one launch, an Atlas Centaur when I was a very young kid and we lived briefly in Florida. I distinctly recall being excited to go see it, and thinking Atlas Centaur was a really cool phrase for years... I have no memory of the launch at all. Recently I asked my father if maybe the launch had been scrubbed or something, but he says we watched it. So see, memory is funny. guess I should go see another someday...