A SpaceX Starlink satellite lit up the night sky over Northern California as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere, stunning onlookers with a fiery display.

Astonishing footage shows a streak of lights gliding across the horizon on Thursday, September 25, at around 7:45 pm local time.

Reports said the falling space debris was linked to Starlink 1586.

Samantha Lawler, a professor of astronomy at the University of Regina, said Starlink currently has more than 8,000 satellites in orbit - each roughly the size of a Ford F-150 pickup.

She explained that Starlink satellites have a lifespan of just five years. When they reach the end of their operational life, they fall back to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere and leaving behind metallic remnants.

Starlink is a satellite internet constellation developed by SpaceX to provide high-speed broadband coverage across the globe, particularly in remote or underserved areas. The system relies on thousands of small satellites orbiting Earth at low altitudes.