Did we launch something ?

Did the U.S test or launch something in the norther Gulf of Mexico tonight ???
Just saw a very odd con trail at sunset tonight and it did NOT appear to be any type of flight path a commercial aircraft would have taken, I have lived here all my life and have thousands of sunset photo's and have never seen this.

Andy

A Soyuz was launched from Russia.

Did it look something like this?

The first pic shows what caught my eye- the second and third show it clearer. Granted its a loong way away- but it does not look like any commercial con trail I have ever seen,(more like a plume) it hung there for a good 45mins - every jets contrail that followed normal flight patterns for this area , where gone in five mins.............

They're shooting at the aliens again...

LOL

Later! OL JR

Atleast you got the Pics' to prove it!

shreadvector said:

https://spaceflightnow.com

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There is no way in heck - It was definitely closer than that.
I have one more pic that is hard to tell- but looks like it actually arcs back toward due north. My view would have been looking roughly north west toward the Gulf of Mexico .

TopRamen said:

Atleast you got the Pics' to prove it!

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are my eyes playing tricks on me- it looks like a missile or rocket no ??

This is the first shot I got and noticed it-



This one is the next shot in the original pics I posted-



This one is hard to tell- but it actually arced back to the North and kept climbing till I couldnt see it-

Space Launch window open around Florida soon, and Corpus Christa has a NOTAM in effect. https://skyvector.com/ you can monitor here if you see something, waivers are posted in advance and left online until they expire (though they can be closed early).

Sometimes People launch large stuff illegaly without Waivers or Clearance. Stupid, but it does happen.

I'm sure it's a distant contrail lit up by the setting sun. Contrails, unlike rocket exhaust trails, are generally straight.

Rockets pass vertically through air moving different directions. So, the exhaust trail from a rocket will quicky become jagged. Contrails remain straight because they are created mostly at one altitude where the wind is fairly constant. Contrails can appear to arc due to the curvature of the earth or the aircraft turning.

-- Roger

jadebox said:

Those are distant contrails lit up by the setting sun. You can tell that they are contrails, not rocket exhaust trails, because they are generally straight.

Rockets pass vertically through air moving different directions. So, the exhaust trail from a rocket will quicky become jagged. Contrails remain straight because they are created mostly at one altitude where the wind is fairly constant.

-- Roger

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That sounds like the most logical Explanation.

I think I'm with jadebox here, too.

But, just in case.

Look for videos for Trident D5 missile launches and see if the missile track corresponds. A smoke trail that long usually means it's US gov't. Remember, it's diameter of the fuel grains that make for long burns. Yes, propellant formulation plays a role etc., but just like race motors have the adage "there's no substitute for cubic inches", rocketry has a corresponding adage "there's no substitute for diameter" WRT burn time.

Greg

GregGleason said:

Look for videos for Trident D5 missile launches and see if the missile track corresponds. A smoke trail that long usually means it's US gov't. Remember, it's diameter of the fuel grains that make for long burns. Yes, propellant formulation plays a role etc., but just like race motors have the adage "there's no substitute for cubic inches", rocketry has a corresponding adage "there's no substitute for diameter" WRT burn time.

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Rockets are occasionally launched from that area (Eglin AFB), but they are announced in advance and wouldn't leave a smoke trail that visible.

Usually the results of rocket launches I saw when I used to live up there resulted in something looking like the photo "ThirstyBarbarian" displayed in the third post. They would launch rockets which released something into the upper atmosphere for some kind of research. The launches were usually in the late afternoon or early evening so the stuff they released would reflect the sun's light. Sometimes it looked really cool. But, I don't recall ever seeing the exhaust trail from one of the rockets.

-- Roger