Life

This Is What That “UFO” Over LA Last Night ACTUALLY Was

by Katie Mitchell
David McNew/Getty Images News/Getty Images

2017 ending with a UFO sighting or a full-on alien invasion wouldn’t be all that surprising, TBH, and that’s exactly what a lot of folks in Southern California thought was happening last night when Elon Musk, founder of aerospace company SpaceX, launched the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, California. So the “UFO" in LA that freaked out Twitter was actually SpaceX’s Falcon 9, which is still very cool, actually.

Folks from all around Southern California witnessed the mysterious streak of light and odd cloud-like formations the Falcon 9 produced, and hundreds of them even called the police to report the “mysterious light in the sky.” I don’t think the local sheriff is a match for potential extraterrestrial life, but I guess it was worth a shot.

The purpose of the rocket launch was to carry 10 communications satellites into orbit, and the Falcon 9 did successfully complete its mission. (Bonus points for stealing the show on Instagram and Twitter.) So you can rest assured that the aliens aren’t coming to get us. Well, at least they weren’t last night, but this past year has shown us anything is possible. One thing is for sure; you get to debate the existence of aliens with your aunts and uncles this holiday season.

But the best part of the whole thing if you weren't in LA, though, was watching it all unfold on Twitter. It seemed like literally everyone on the internet was abuzz about the potential UFO sighting, and the reactions were really something — just like the supposed UFO.

1

Elon Musk Did Not Try To Stop The Confusion

SpaceX founder Elon Musk just combined all of everyone's fears in one hilarious tweet.

2

The Views Were Spectacular

Who knew rockets could be so pretty? (When they're not UFOs)

3

Some Folks Knew What Was Going On

Even people who knew what they were seeing were still impressed.

4

High-Tech Santa

Some speculated that Santa and his reindeer were behind the strange light show last night.

5

The "UFO" Was Distracting

It's probably not safe to drive and record "UFO" sightings — it could lead to distracted driving.

6

Stop: Aliens Ahead

Some drivers just pulled over to witness this amazing spectacle.

7

Aliens Claim Responsibility

You could have predicted that the Twitter jokes would come soon after the Falcon 9 launch.

8

The Sheriff's In Town

After receiving a bunch of calls, the Ventura County Sheriff wanted to clear things up.

9

#PlotTwist

Elon Musk is joking... right?

So the UFO everyone was talking about last night was actually Falcon 9. At least that's the official story. You can't blame Los Angelenos for being quick to jump to the alien conclusion, though, after the news last week that the Pentagon literally investigates UFOs. Though the sighting last night was pretty exciting, it's evident that the truth is out there.