Guess what this is?

[Professor David]

Saw this tonight in the AZ desert!!

 

[Laura & Charles]

I would guess Venus in the background and an old tire carcass in the foreground…. That other thing, I have no clue.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Things like that I've seen here have been missle launches to/from white sands missile range. Maybe a starlink launch?

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Professor David]

Things like that I've seen here have been missle launches to/from white sands missile range. Maybe a starlink launch?

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

Bingo. SpaceX launch out of Santa Barbara

 

[OldWEB]

https://www.space.com/live/rocket-launch-today

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

That's quite a trail, neat to see how it dispersed in the upper atmosphere.

Last time I was in Orlando there was a falcon heavy launch from Canaveral. Too dark to see any vapor or smoke tail but could see the flame from 50 miles away. A daytime launch of the space shuttle I could see from Ft. Lauderdale. Maybe routine from east and west coasts but I still think it's cool.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[OldWEB]

I would guess Venus in the background and an old tire carcass in the foreground…. That other thing, I have no clue.

Tire carcass?? Here I thought it would be a firepit ring... this is a real mystery!

 

[OldWEB]

What the OP photographed was the 'fuel dump' of the rocket once its mission was completed.
This one is neat.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-18/alaska-sky-spiral-caused-by-spacex-rocket-fuel/102234638

 

[Larry N.]

Almost like an aircraft landing light, with weird effects from cloud and/or fog.

 

[Professor David]

Tire carcass?? Here I thought it would be a firepit ring... this is a real mystery!

Correct…fire pit ring.

 

[John From Detroit]

Almost like an aircraft landing light, with weird effects from cloud and/or fog.

Was thinking airport search light (Some airports still have a search light instead of the more modern rows of landing lights) But that's the same thing from the other end of the landing.

 

[Firstime RVer]

Incredible images !!!
Thanks for sharing.
Safe travels and all the best.