No it wasn't aliens

Late Tuesday night, just as the Perseid meteor shower was set to peak, residents across the Capital Region and much of the East Coast spotted something unexpected—bright, pill-shaped lights with misty tails hanging in the night sky.

@btckyle

#UAP #UFO #diorbag - Tonight, around 1034pm eastern time in upstate NY, I spotted this UAP or object seemingly falling from the sky potentially burning up and or giving off a very cool spiral phenomenon! Let me know what you think it is. I have no idea! Truly!

♬ original sound - BTCKYLE

What It Was

The mysterious glow wasn’t a meteor or a UFO. It was the Vulcan Centaur rocket launching mission USSF-106 from Cape Canaveral, carrying the experimental Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) into geosynchronous orbit. With nearly three million pounds of thrust and four solid boosters, the rocket’s powerful ascent created a dazzling, visible trail that stretched for hundreds of miles.

Why It Looked So Unusual

The eerie effect came from what’s known as the “twilight phenomenon.” As the rocket climbed into higher altitudes, its exhaust plume was illuminated by sunlight still hitting the upper atmosphere, while viewers on the ground were already in darkness. The result was a glowing, jellyfish-like formation that lingered in the sky.

The Perseids Take a Back Seat

While the Perseid meteor shower was active that night, an 80% illuminated waning gibbous moon washed out many of the fainter meteors. A few bright fireballs were spotted, but the rocket’s ghostly display stole most of the attention.

@its_rookey

Did we see what we think we saw 🛸👽 #ufos #august12 #ufa #newyorksky #meteorshower2025

♬ original sound - its_rookey