A UFO was seen flying above Los Angeles over the weekend.
But those hoping that alien contact had been made were disappointed to learn that the UFO was actually a secretive missile test performed by the U.S. Navy.
Lexington Institute military analyst Loren Thompson told the Los Angeles Times that the secret nature of the launch was necessary for the missile’s purpose.
The need for secrecy was all the more important given the type of weapon the Navy launched Saturday from a submarine, according to Thompson.
The Trident II (D5) missile is a centerpiece of the U.S. military’s ability to deter a nuclear attack and modernizing the weapon is a top priority, he said.
Knowing in advance that a Trident was going to be tested would give prying eyes, for example sailors on a Russian submarine positioned in the Pacific, the ability to gather valuable information, Thompson said.
For onlookers, the bright light was a mystery.
“For a brief moment, when the cloud got bigger, I was wondering, ‘Should we run?’ It looked so close,” video blogger Julien Solomita told the Los Angeles Times.
Check out Solomita’s video above, which has already eclipsed 5 million views on YouTube.
