X

Supermoon 'meteor' over Los Angeles turns out to be a bold stunt

The Los Angeles Police Department says it wasn't an alien invasion.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
2 min read
redbullflare2
Enlarge Image
redbullflare2

Red Bull lit up Los Angeles during the last supermoon of 2019.

Michael Clark/Red Bull Content Pool

Apparently Red Bull gives you flares with your wings. The energy drink company sparked a series of meteor and UFO sightings over Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Residents spotted a dramatic shower of moving sparks over the LA skyline. Astronomer Phil Plait initially puzzled over the phenomenon as seen in footage shared by Twitter user Celeste M. Perez. Perez wanted to know if it was a meteor.

Plait soon sussed out the actual reason behind the show: wingsuit flyers with flares. 

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the news, writing "PSA: A meteor did not crash into Downtown Los Angeles, and no, it's not an alien invasion ... just a film shoot. This is Tinseltown after all."

Red Bull replied to the LAPD tweet by saying, "Looks like someone was getting the best view of the supermoon." 

The company also posted a dramatic photo of the evening's "super worm equinox moon" with a flare of sparks and the message "14% brighter. 30% bigger. 100% flare."

Red Bull shared another photo on Thursday of a wingsuit-wearing stunt person trailing fire with a view of downtown Los Angeles below. The drink company operates the Red Bull Air Force skydiving team.

The wingsuit divers jumped out of a helicopter at 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) above the city and flew at speeds topping 120 mph (193 km/h). They carried both LED lights and pyrotechnic flares to create the light show. The team used parachutes to descend safely to the ground.

Red Bull says the stunt "marked the first ever wingsuit jump into downtown Los Angeles."

California has hosted its share of oddball sky wonders, including a glowing jagged light seen in December in the northern part of the state. That one actually was a meteor. As of yet, despite the hopes of UFO fans, none of these weird sightings have involved space aliens.

Yetis and UFOs and sea monsters, oh my! (pictures)

See all photos