'What was that?': SpaceX rocket launch lights up Central California sky

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A sight in the skies over Central California left many people wondering... "What was that?"

It appeared as a towering plume of white smoke, dotted with glowing spots.

That was a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base along the Central Coast.

The rocket was carrying 25 Starlink satellites into lowEarth orbit.

About two and a half minutes after launch, the rocket's first and second stages separated.

The second stage continued on into space, while the first stage returned to Earth, making a safe landing on a drone ship off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.

SpaceX launches rockets from Vandenberg about once a week, but this one stood out.

Clear skies, combined with a twilight launch just after sunset, meant the rocket was still catching sunlight at higher elevations, making it especially visible across much of the Valley.