Authorities say the mysterious object that streaked through California skies Wednesday night was not:
- The beginning of The Rapture
- Hillary Clinton's email server
- Donald Trump's ego
- Related in any way to Pokémon Go
The Pentagon's Strategic Command says the object, which became the focus of many an entertaining online video, was the remains of a Chinese rocket launched about five weeks ago.
Stratcom officials told The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times among other outlets that the Long March 7 rocket re-entered the atmosphere at 9:36 p.m. PDT Wednesday.
What ensued were gasps of delight and amazement from the smartphone-wielding multitudes who happened to be outdoors at the time.
Representative sample: