A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Florida was visible in North Carolina’s skies early Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
The WRAL News inbox was full of photos and videos from viewers across the state.<\/p>\n
After 5:30 a.m., viewers from Clayton, Raleigh, Knightdale, Garner, Fuquay-Varina, Smithfield and Willow Spring sent photos<\/a> of the SpaceX launch.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t>> Photos: SpaceX launch visible in NC skies<\/a><\/p>\n WRAL meteorologist Grant Skinner explains that the timing of the launch — before sunrise — contributes to why the bright, big ball of light could be seen in the eastern sky early Thursday morning.<\/p>\n As part of the Starlink Mission,\u00a0Falcon 9 launched 28 Starlink satellites\u00a0to low-Earth orbit at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to SpaceX.<\/p>\n Skinner said gases were emitted from the rocket high in our atmosphere. The light from the sun reflected off of those gases, even though it was still dark at the surface. This phenomena, sometimes called a \u201cspace jellyfish,” only happens with launches just before sunrise or just after sunset (during twilight).<\/p>\n This flight marks the seventh flight for the booster used during the first stage of flight. That booster detached and landed safely on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean about 8 minutes after liftoff.<\/p>\n Many viewers who submitted photos said they saw the view during their morning walks shortly after 5:30 a.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Starlink satellites aim to provide high-speed internet around the world.<\/p>\n If you are an early riser, you have several more opportunities to see a launch in coming weeks.\u00a0According to the SpaceX launch schedule<\/a>, the Falcon 9 rocket will launch more Starlink satellites from Florida in the coming days, including at 5:20 a.m. on Sept. 21 (Cape Canaveral) and at 11:32 a.m. on Sept. 23 (Kennedy Space Center). At 4:36 a.m. on Sept. 25, Falcon 9 will launch again from Cape Canaveral.\u00a0<\/p>\n