Before dawn on September 2, an Atlas V rocket took off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The launch was a complete success, but it left behind a strange, colorful, and oddly-shaped plume hanging in the sky — a departure from the typical narrow, cylindrical cloud left behind by other rocket launches:
Keep scrolling to see some of the amazing photos taken by Florida residents, many of whom were taken aback by the sight.
"Something's coming down from whatever that is," a concerned woman named Chastaly said in a video she filmed and sent to CNN affiliate Central Florida News 13.
Another woman named Cecille Rodriguez wrote a Facebook message to the station saying, "I honestly thought that aliens were coming to Winter Park! Lol #justkidding."
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Extraterrestrial theories aside, Twitter and Instagram users took some amazing shots of the sky following the rocket's launch, which was carrying a Navy communications satellite designed to help troops make calls and send texts, video, and other data.
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/639565891194236928
Awesome long exposure shot of Atlas V rocket as it launches from Cape Canaveral Florida. pic.twitter.com/MH9oElPI9c
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/639117239162118144
The #AtlasV launch in Florida brought some stunning views http://t.co/jq2nm8IFV2pic.twitter.com/0sbhzKdZlh
But what caused the cloud to look like this?
According to a post on SpaceWeather.com, this tear-drop shaped plume resulted from the rocket creating a thin, wispy, man-made cloud called a noctilucent cloud. These types of clouds, which hover in the air like Dementors from Harry Potter, are also called "night shining" clouds.
"Water vapor in the rocket's exhaust crystallized in the high atmosphere, creating an icy cloud that turned blue when it was hit by the rays of the morning sun," the post on SpaceWeather.com says. "Years ago, space shuttle launches produced similar displays."
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See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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