GT reader Ramon posted this link yesterday in the comments:

http://uncinus.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/4/

Which gives us a great explanation as to how an optical illusion confused many Southern Californians yesterday. You know, if you’re all into that science mumbo jumbo….

Honestly, this “mysterious rocket launch” picture is kind of tricky, so I can relate to everyone who thought this was a missile. I thought we were heading for WW III for sure and started to sell all my belongings on Craigslist. Anyone in the market for a pair of slightly used red Doc Martins?

Anyways, this brings us to the stark realization that Mysterious Missiles Don’t Real!

Full source: LA Times

Pentagon officials were more confident Wednesday that video of a condensation trail in the sky off the coast of Southern California was made by an aircraft, not a missile, a spokesman said.

“There is no evidence to suggest that this is anything else other than a condensation trail from an aircraft,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan told reporters.

Lapan declined to state definitively that the Defense Department believed the trail was caused by an airplane, but he said there was greater confidence that that was the case because more information about the incident had been analyzed since late Tuesday.

He would not go into detail about the new information.

The video footage, shot from a television news helicopter just before sunset Monday, of what looked like a missile set off fierce speculation about a rogue launch or a secret government test.

— David S. Cloud at the Pentagon