Residents in British Columbia’s northern and Interior regions, along with parts of Alberta and Vancouver Island, were left puzzled by a mysterious sight in the night sky on Tuesday. Between 10:15 and 10:30 p.m. PT, numerous witnesses observed a large, white object slowly traversing the horizon before vanishing.
Sarah and Jared Siemens from Vanderhoof, B.C., who had recently discussed skepticism about UFOs with their son, were surprised to witness the event shortly after. Videos capturing the phenomenon were shared on social media platforms by residents from various locations, including Williams Lake, Prince George, and Fort St. John.
Speculations about the unidentified object ranged from a weather balloon to a SpaceX rocket. Malhar Kendurkar, president of the Prince George Astronomical Observatory, identified the object as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, visible after launching from the Vandenberg Space Force Base earlier in the evening. The unique appearance of the rocket was attributed to the “jellyfish effect” caused by its exhaust expanding in the upper atmosphere.
Michael Unger, director of programming at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, noted the increasing frequency of unidentified aerial sightings due to the growing presence of drones, private satellites, and rockets in the night sky. This trend provides valuable opportunities for scientific observation and exploration of celestial phenomena.
