JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Residents of the First Coast who were up and about early on Saturday morning were treated to a rare celestial spectacle at approximately 6:17 a.m.

The sight of a satellite re-entering Earth’s atmosphere captivated onlookers as it fragmented and incinerated during its descent. This mesmerizing display is a result of what is commonly referred to as “space junk.” Satellites, once they have completed their missions and are no longer orbiting Earth, are engineered to disintegrate and burn up upon re-entry into the atmosphere. As the number of satellites in orbit continues to grow, such occurrences may become more frequent. Notably, Starlink satellites, for instance, typically have a lifespan of 5 to 7 years before they descend back to Earth.

Initially, many observers speculated that the spectacle was the result of a rocket launch or a meteor. However, this was not the case. Although a rocket launch had been planned for the morning, it was called off due to unfavorable weather conditions in the booster recovery area. It is worth noting that a rocket launch would present as a single bright light streaking through the sky, rather than an object breaking apart in multiple pieces.

Many online thought what they saw was a rocket launch or meteor. That was not the case.

A rocket launch was scheduled for this morning, but the launch was scrubbed due to poor weather in the booster recovery area. Plus a rocket launch would display as single bright light vs a object breaking apart. 

The Taurids meteor shower is currently ongoing, but it was too bright and scattered into too many pieces to be a meteor. Plus a meteor often moves much faster than a satellite being displayed for only a few seconds and in some cases less than a second as a bright fireball.