'Mystery Missile' May Be a Jet

Well, this could take the fun out of it: The "mystery missile" might not be a missile after all, just a regular old jet combined with an optical illusion. "It is obviously an airplane," an analyst with GlobalSecurity.org tells Wired. “The aircraft is flying towards the observer; the air over the Pacific is clear, so the contrail is visible all the way to the horizon. This creates the optical illusion of a rocket flying up, rather than the actual situation of an airplane flying horizontally."

An MIT astronomer is pretty much in agreement, notes Wired, though he does point out that the Navy has a launch facility nearby. Whatever it is, the military's NORAD and NORTHCOM, add this, as per AP: "We can confirm that there is no threat to our nation. We will provide more information as it becomes available." Click here for more.
(More mystery missile stories.)