You won't believe that this incredible photo of the Golden Gate Bridge is real

Torsten Funke captured this photo of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Sunday, Oct. 7. Torsten Funke captured this photo of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Sunday, Oct. 7. Photo: Courtesy Torsten Funke Photo: Courtesy Torsten Funke Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close You won't believe that this incredible photo of the Golden Gate Bridge is real 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

Torsten Funke was photographing the Golden Gate Bridge from Battery Spencer in Marin Sunday night when a shocking streak of color flashed across the night sky.

ALSO: Musk's SpaceX successfully lands rocket back at California base

The glowing object was not a UFO, but a Falcon 9 rocket, launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX from the Vandenberg Air Force Base 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The rocket, carrying an Argentine Earth-observation satellite, returned to its launch site Sunday night in what was SpaceX's first such landing in California.

Funke, a German, was visiting Northern California on a business trip when the rocket streaked across his camera's viewfinder.

"The plan was to capture the sunset from [the Battery], but the GPS of my rental car led me the wrong way," Funke told SFGATE by email Tuesday. By the time he got to the top of the battery, just a sliver of sunlight remained. Then the rocket appeared, a moment of photographic serendipity that Funke said was "destiny."

He was not alone in photographing the celestial oddity; people from Phoenix to Sacramento captured images of the rocket in orbit and shared them on social media.

ALSO: Bay Area residents react to strange light moving slowly through sky

When SFGATE posted Funke's photo on Instagram, some commenters said the image looked "unreal." Others called it "amazing" and "so rad."

"Timing," one commenter noted, "is everything."

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Funke's camera data notes:

Camera: Canon EOS 6D

Focal Length: 24 mm

Shutter Speed: 30/1 sec

Aperture: f/11

ISO: 200

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.

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