That big streak in the sky visible in the Mother Lode last night came from Vandenberg Air Force Base. Just after 7:30, officials conducted a test launch of an un-armed Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from an underground silo. The blast and contrails could be seen as far away as Phoenix, Arizona.

Several Sonora and Tuolumne County residents called law enforcement agencies and Clarke Broadcasting about the display, which lasted just a few minutes, but left a lingering, purple swipe in the sky for about a half hour.