Last night I observed the Minuteman III launched at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California from my home in San Jose, approximately 400 KM north of that site. I first saw the object approximately 08:06 UTC. When I first spotted it it was only about 5 degrees above the local horizon, and I thought it was an airplane with a flashing red light on the left. In binoculars the "flashing red light" was clearly seen to be part of the trail of propellants that were breaking free and burning out, exactly like holiday fireworks. The object and especially its trail had a strong red color. Several times I watched bright flashes break off and burn out. The rocket was approximately as bright as Jupiter. It attained a maximum apparent elevation of about 25 degrees. When it passed below Sirius, it had faded somewhat and was about a half-magnitude fainter than that star. I managed to keep it in view only about two minutes before it went behind some buildings to the west. The trajectory of the Minuteman (towards the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific) was much more towards the west that a previous launch I witnessed of a launch of Iridium satellites. my GPS tells me I'm at 37 deg 17.3' N., 121 deg 59.2' west (San Jose, CA) Robert Sheaffer - robert@debunker.com - Skeptical to the Max! Visit my Skeptical Page - http://www.debunker.com/ Skeptical Resources Debunking All Manner of Bogus Claims Also: / Mens Issues / Opera / Astronomy / more