No, that mysterious flash of light you saw flying through the sky early in the morning was not an alien invasion. It was a rocket launch.
Around 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 13, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was launched into space from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The rocket had a northeast trajectory and traveled up the East Coast, but it was visible from East Tennessee and other parts of the Volunteer State as it soared through the daybreak sky.
Tennesseans were quick to take to social media and ask what the heck it was. Many assumed the rocket was a comet.
"Got home from the gym like 5 minutes ago and saw an impossibly high flash light beam, then noticed the tail and wow, yeah that's a comet," a social
media post said.
Reddit users posted images from across East Tennessee, including views of the SpaceX Falcon 9 from Halls, Johnson City and Strawberry Plains.
"My coffee hadn't kicked in yet and my lizard brain said scary lights lol. It was really cool to see," a user commented.
The rocket seemed to be more visible in East Tennessee, but Middle Tennessee residents could also spot the flash of light.
Hezekiah Hooper shared a video of the rocket from Murfreesboro. Like many others, Hooper was confused about what the object was.
What is the SpaceX Falcon 9?
SpaceX, a private spaceflight company owned by Elon Musk, partners with NASA on crew missions and International Space Station resupply missions.
The Falcon 9 rocket that took off in the early hours of Oct. 13 is SpaceX's 35th commercial resupply of the International Space Station. The mission is known as CRS-35. After 52 hours, it is expected to dock in space on Oct. 15 at 11 a.m.
The Falcon 9 rocket that took off in the early hours of Oct. 13 is part of SpaceX's 35th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station. The mission is known as CRS-35. After 52 hours, it is expected to dock with the space station on Oct. 15 at 11 a.m.
Afton Pratt covers trending and breaking news for Knox News and Tennessee. She can be reached at ampratt@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Did you see a flash of light in Tennessee? It was a SpaceX rocket. Watch
