Observers have said they soon thought there were “aliens here at last” after a falling SpaceX rocket ignited the skies over the northwestern United States.
The Falcon 9 second-tier rocket shocked spectators in Seattle as it fired up into the Earth’s atmosphere shortly after 9pm on Thursday.
Front desk manager Eberton Paul sensed the flame as he passed the famous Space Needle tower in the city.
Hey @NASA what happened just above the Seattle night sky? pic.twitter.com/QZqSJrf937
– Eto (@EbertonPaul) March 26, 2021
“There was one million I wish foreigners would finally be here,” the 36-year-old told PA news agency.
“I was on my PC, and I often watch the Space Needle, when I saw this bright light coming on suddenly.
“At first I thought it was a plane, but then I saw the sparkles and I was sure it was debris going in again.”
The SpaceX rocket had been delivering Starlink satellites and the company said Wednesday that its first-stage rocket had returned to Earth as expected, landing on a galley off the coast of Florida.
No damage or impact to the ground was reported from the debris.