SpaceX satellite launch brightens Burke pre-dawn skies

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, early this morning, created a highly visible, bright, and glowing plume across North Carolina.

The rocket's plume was visible from Florida's Space Coast up through the Carolinas due to its high altitude and the timing, which allowed the sun to illuminate the rocket's exhaust plume against the dark sky.

The Paper's Editor Emeritus, Bill Poteat, and Bo the Wonder Dog, were getting a few early morning laps in at the Hallyburton Academy walking track in Drexel when he spotted the bright light, moving from south to north, fairly low in the eastern sky.

"To be honest, it scared me a bit," said Poteat of the visitor to the pre-dawn sky. "My first thought was of how very bright it was, and my second was fear that it might be foreign missile."

After taking the time to make several photos, Poteat immediately used his cell phone to ask Siri about reports of an unusual light in the Carolina skies. Siri responded immediately with a summary of news reports that it was a SpaceX rocket.

"After that," Poteat added, "I was able to relax and enjoy the show. The light lingered for a quite a while."