Fireball seen crossing western sky was debris from Russian rocket, US says.
Several hours after the bright light soared across the sky, military officials confirmed it was Russian space debris.
Military officials said a streak of light was caused by debris from a Russian rocket re-entering the earth’s atmosphere.
U.S. Strategic Command spokesperson Julie Ziegenhorn said an SL-4 rocket-body booster from Russia was launched Monday.
People in Santa Barbara, Goleta and other locations tried to figure out what happened for hours.
This isn’t the first time a glow has sparked speculation. A Patriot missile test in New Mexico Dec. 17, could be seen as far away as Edwards Airforce Base and the Navy conducted a classified missile test from a submarine off Ventura County Nov. 7. Both could be seen for miles.
People who captured the glow on cell phone video and shared it one social media said it would be nice to be in-the-know prior to a launch.
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Agencies/Canadajournal