Atlas 5 Rocket Launch Lit Up Miami's Sky, and Everyone Freaked Out

"Oh my god," a woman intones, a shaky camera phone aimed at the sky. "There's something that is releasing a whole bunch of light in the ... Oh my god!" No, the footage isn't the start of the latest insufferable "found footage" horror flick about an alien invasion. It's just...

By Tim Elfrink

September 2, 2015

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"Oh my God," a woman intones, a shaky camera phone aimed at the sky. "There's something that is releasing a whole bunch of light in the... Oh my God!"

No, the clip isn't the beginning of the latest insufferable "found footage" horror flick about an alien invasion. It's just one of the hundreds of tweets, Facebook updates, and cell-phone videos uploaded by terrified Miamians who spotted a freakish burst of light over the horizon early this morning.

Guys, chillax. The spectacle was the Atlas 5 rocket launching off Cape Canaveral. Since the death of NASA's space shuttle program, South Florida has lost the hang of seeing stuff blasted into the ether.

Early morning "what IS THIS IN THE SKY?" txt video from friend in Homestead. Turns out she caught the Atlas V launch! pic.twitter.com/04SGPsPMgm
— Christine Portela (@ThisIsPortela) September 2, 2015

The Atlas 5 blasted off from the Space Coast just after 6 a.m. today with a new $7.6 billion Navy satellite system strapped to the nose of the 21-story rocket. The private United Launch Alliance is operating the spacecraft, which was delayed several days by the remnants of Tropical Storm Erika moving over Florida.

The explosive engines creating the 2.5 million pounds of thrust to get the rocket into orbit also lit up the early-morning sky as the Atlas 5 arced over South Florida.

In Miami, the rocket set off a mini-War of the Worlds moment on Twitter.

@NBCNews @nbc6 can anyone help explain this fascinating light in the #Miami night sky this morning? pic.twitter.com/idUNFxDwXx
— Oreo Hernandez (@oreoUM) September 2, 2015

@CBSMiami @nbc6 @wsvn WHAT is this moving across Country Club of Miami sky? Several witnesses!!! pic.twitter.com/6kImDPtrx8
— Sharon (@sharon216019) September 2, 2015

Did anyone else see that light in the Miami sky??????
— David V. (@DavidValde) September 2, 2015

Tim Elfrink is a former investigative reporter and managing editor for Miami New Times. He has won the George Polk Award and was a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.

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