U.S Missile Test Sparks 100 UFO Reports

The U.S Army on Sept 13 launched the Juno missile from New Mexico to be intercepted by a Patriot Missile during a test when onlookers mistook the missile’s long contrail for an UFO. The missile test launched a flurry of calls and emails to the onlookers who saw the rocket travel across the Southwest. According to White Sands Missile Range spokeswoman Monte Marlin, her office received nearly 100 calls reporting ‘UFO sightings’. "Conditions were just right for it to be seen from far away," Marlin told SPACE.com, adding that the view was caused when the Juno missile's exhaust froze in the upper atmosphere. "When it freezes, those little ice crystals act like prisms to reflect sunlight. It creates that amazing light show". The missile launch was the 14th test of its kind since 1998. “Sometimes the Juno contrails have been spotted from far-off locales, and other times not. Prior to Thursday's launch, the furthest reports from observers came from Phoenix and Colorado” she was quoted as saying.