It wasn't a plane. It wasn't a bird. It certainly wasn't Superman (or even Tim Tebow).

But something was there in the early evening night sky over our area Monday night. It was far bigger than a star, fuzzy like a comet, seemingly moving only with the slow rotation of the earth.

Many assumed - incorrectly - that it was Comet 17P/Holmes, now causing a stir among those who enjoy sitting in the backyard at night and aiming telescopes at distant space objects. But it wasn't Holmes. It wasn't a comet at all.

The authoritative Web site Spaceweather.com provided the answer this morning for thousands of people from Florida to New England who spotted the fuzzy ball in the northeast sky. It was a fuel dump.

According to Spaceweather.com, "This cloud mimicking Comet 17P/Holmes is fuel dumped from the upper stage of an Atlas rocket that launched a classified satellite into orbit for the National Reconnaissance Office on Dec. 10th. The event created a splendid display for about 50 minutes and then faded into the night."

That's just about how long the fuzzy light in the sky lasted here.