North Carolina witnesses SpaceX spectacle: Launch ignites night sky

Several North Carolina residents were able to get a front-row seat (well, kind of) to Saturday night's SpaceX Falcon 9.

The launch, originating hundreds of miles away at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, transformed the North Carolina night sky into a fantastic view.

Unfamiliar with the scheduled launch, many North Carolinians took to social media, sharing videos and photos of the streaking light in the darkness.

Descriptions ranged from the fantastical – "aliens" and "comets" – to the more grounded – "an object flying in the night."

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying satellites for the European Commission's Galileo constellation. Launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, the rocket's visible ascent was a treat for skywatchers in North Carolina, hundreds of miles north.