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LiveScience
LiveScience
Harry Baker

Night sky 'bleeds' over Arizona after SpaceX rocket punches a hole in the atmosphere. Here's why.

A red streak of light appeared in the sky above Arizona on July 19 after the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. (Image credit: Jeremy Perez)

A SpaceX rocket recently punched a hole in Earth's upper atmosphere while venturing into space, leaving behind a blood-red streak of light in the sky similar to an aurora.

The Falcon 9 rocket, which was carrying 15 SpaceX Starlink satellites into orbit, lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 19 at around 9 p.m. PDT, according to Live Science's sister site Space.com. As the rocket rose into the upper atmosphere, its exhaust plume became illuminated by sunlight, which created a stunning spectacle seen across California and parts of Arizona. But what followed was even more awe-inspiring.

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