Russian rocket confused for UFO

A UFO was spotted in the sky above Russia on Wednesday night, which reportedly created a mild panic and prompted multiple UFO reports. But the strange object was quickly identified as a Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Russian Meridian 4 satellite into orbit. The Meridian 4 satellite is the fourth in a series of Russian military communications satellites being launched to replace the existing satellite system that has aged beyond its prime.

The Soyuz rocket produced an impressive light show as it moved through the sky Wednesday night, which was reminiscent of the mysterious sky spiral seen in Norway in December of 2009.