SpaceX launched its final rocket of the year on Friday, which put on a spectacular show as it streaked across the night sky in Southern California. But not everyone in L.A. got the memo about the rocket launch. Some thought it was aliens. Or worse.
Social media users posted pictures of the rockets and speculated about what the lights in the sky could be – with opinions ranging from aliens to fairy godparents to Santa.
Even as news that the lights were really a SpaceX launch spread, some still weren’t convinced. Twitter users speculated the explanation was a government cover-up.
SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk also let himself have fun with the conspiracy theories and played along with the idea that aliens were lighting up the skies.
Musk even implied the rocket was a “nuclear alien UFO from North Korea.”
Musk also announced on Twitter that he was planning another launch for January.
The next rocket will fire from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County – another chance for pyrotechnics over Southern California.
Or, you know, aliens.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com