Here’s what those lights over Arizona were on Monday night

We’re not saying it was aliens.

February 11, 2025

A Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base viewed over downtown Phoenix in December 2017. John Sirlin/Alamy Stock Photo

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It’s the question many Arizona residents have been asking themselves since Monday: What were those lights in the sky?

We’re not saying it was aliens, because it wasn’t. Nor was it a comet, shooting star or another astronomical phenomenon. Turns out it was the latest in a series of rocket launches happening in southern California.

On Monday evening, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California carrying 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. Liftoff occurred at approximately 7 p.m. Arizona time.

The Falcon 9 rocket reportedly took nine minutes to reach space before delivering its payload of satellites. It then landed safely on the SpaceX drone ship “Of Course I Love You” that was located in the Pacific Ocean.

Thanks to mostly clear skies on Monday night, the Falcon 9 launch caused a spectacular glowing cloud to be visible in the skies over Arizona, as well as parts of southern California and southern Nevada. The stunning sight was caused by what’s called the “twilight effect” when the light from the setting sun illuminates the Falcon 9 rocket’s exhaust trail as it blasts into space.

It’s not the first time Arizona residents have spotted a SpaceX launch in the evening skies overhead.

Multiple launches have been visible over the Valley and other parts of the state since December 2017, each sparking a flurry of social media posts as people catch a glimpse of the glowing exhaust trail and wonder what it is they’re seeing. (Launches in 2019, 2020 and 2022 have also been visible.)

Such was the case on Monday night as residents across the Valley and elsewhere in the state shared photos and videos of the stunning sight caused by the SpaceX launch.

Here’s a look at some of what people captured on Monday.

Clouds cleared out just enough to make this evenings rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base out in California visible from Phoenix! Here was the view looking west! The launchpad is just under 500 miles away from downtown PHX. #azwx #cawx pic.twitter.com/YaD0pschgZ
— NWS Phoenix (@NWSPhoenix) February 11, 2025

We love watching space x launches from our front yard. We live in Phoenix AZ by the way!! We also like following along with the livestream. Thanks @SpaceX !

Thanks @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/OOBiey53Wr
— Scubah (@ScubahDubya) February 11, 2025

Here in phoenix and just saw a sighting of a satellite, UFO idk in the sky pic.twitter.com/eJoCszbRP6
— Dede Lovelace (@DedeLovelace) February 11, 2025

Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music and nightlife. He joined New Times in 2003. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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