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Mysterious Glow Over Texas Explained: SpaceX Launch Sparks UFO Reports From Houston to Dallas

Chron
11:10 AM, 12/10/2025
Mysterious Glow Over Texas Explained: SpaceX Launch Sparks UFO Reports From Houston to Dallas

Bright, cloud-softened light startled observers in Houston and beyond Monday evening. Witnesses reported a pulsing, foggy glow around 6:30 p.m., prompting online speculation and jokes. The phenomenon matched the timing and appearance of a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral that lofted 29 Starlink satellites; Booster 1067 landed on the droneship Just Read the Instructions, and the upper stage deployed satellites about an hour after liftoff.

Residents across Houston and other Texas cities were left puzzled Monday evening when a bright, cloud-softened glow appeared in the sky. The shimmering light—seen by commuters and social media users—prompted speculation and jokes, but the source turned out to be far less mysterious: a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral.

What Witnesses Saw

Around 6:30 p.m."As I watched I noticed the light getting larger then smaller but constantly behind a foggy veil... The closest thing I can compare it to would be seeing a headlight through fog." The couple later saw a smaller light drifting toward the Galleria and, captivated, admitted they didn’t record the moment.

Other witnesses reported seeing the phenomenon from locations such as the Kirby Ice House parking lot, and similar sightings were reported in Dallas and College Station. Social media reactions mixed disbelief with humor—some joked about aliens, while others linked the sighting to recent rocket activity.

The Real Explanation

The unusual sky display coincided with a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch that lifted 29 Starlink satellites into orbit. Booster 1067 launched Monday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 5:26 p.m. EST (2226 GMT, Dec. 8). The first stage separated about two and a half minutes after liftoff and returned for a propulsive landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions in the Atlantic.

The upper stage continued into orbit, performed a coast and a second burn of its Merlin engine, and deployed the Starlink Group 6-92 satellites roughly an hour after liftoff. Atmospheric conditions and the angle of sunlight made parts of the rocket’s upper stage and the newly deployed satellite train visible from Texas, producing the eerie, shifting glow witnesses described.

Context

SpaceX now operates more than 9,100 Starlink satellites in orbit, providing broadband service to underserved regions and supporting in-flight Wi‑Fi and limited cell-to-satellite connectivity. Monday’s mission was among SpaceX’s busiest: the company recorded its 148th Falcon 9 launch of the year.

If you spot an unexplained light in the sky in the future, consider checking official launch schedules and social media feeds from launch providers—those often explain otherwise puzzling astronomical or astronautical displays.

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