Mysterious lights blamed on old Russian rocket

Mysterious lights in the sky over Texas and Oklahoma were caused by space junk entering the atmosphere, a NORAD spokesman said.

OKLAHOMA CITY (CNN) -- A spectacular light show in the skies over Oklahoma and Texas Saturday night was the result of space junk re-entering the sky, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said.

Dozens of bright, twinkling lights with long tails streaked across the night sky in what looked like a slow-moving meteor shower. The lights were large and appeared white, blue and yellow.

A NORAD spokesman said the object was an SL12 Russian rocket entering the atmosphere, and that it posed no danger to anyone on the ground. The spokesman said such space junk breaks up or disintegrates upon re-entry.

CNN received numerous calls from viewers about the event. One witness in the Texas panhandle, near Lubbock, said the lights covered a large span of the sky.