I see that on CNN there is a news about a mystery „missile“ that was lunched offshore from south California. This case is a real mystery, unless the U.S Military is not telling the whole story. But that might well be the case. But what follows this story is what I find interesting. But apparently home made security and air dynamic experts believe that this is a airplane, not a missile or something else lunched from that location.
According to CNN news the „security expert“ named John Pike claims that this is a airplane illusion based by the horizon effect that makes people think that it was lunched off from the coastline of south California. But illusion it was not. On the CNN web site there is a fairly clear picture of the mystery object. It is clear that it is lunched from the ground level not far from that location. The location appears to be close to observable horizon in the area (I have never been there, so I do not know the layout in details. I am just working with what I got here).
When the contrail is looked at. It is clear that is coming from a object that is going up trough the atmosphere vertically, not traveling the atmosphere horizontally. As the lower part of the contrail is affected by local weather in the area. That is at least clearly visible in the picture. What is also clear from the pictures is that the object in question is going higher up the atmosphere at extremely fast speed. Speeds that appears to be fairly higher then a commercial airplane uses (about 900km/h at cursing altitude).
What this is a mystery to me like other people how look at this pictures. But I am sure that this was not a airplane from south California.
The CNN News.
Pentagon can’t explain apparent mystery rocket off California coast (CNN.com)
The BBC News.
‘Mystery missile’ seen off California coast (BBC News)