[Launch Alert] Falcon 9 Launched

[Launch Alert]

A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 46 Starlink internet satellites was successfully launched today (August 12) from Vandenberg SFB at 2:40:20 p.m. PDT (21:40:20 UTC).

I observed the launch from approximately 95 statute miles east-southeast of the launch site. The first stage burn was visible to the unaided eye, but it was an unimpressive orange speck. However, the view through 10x tripod-mounted binoculars was much better. I could clearly see detail within the elongated orange flame and was able to follow the Falcon 9 all the way to first stage cutoff. The image quality through the binoculars was degraded due to shimmering from the heat.