Originally Posted by
jcountry
Didn't see it, but that thing could have been part of the space x rocket. I'm sure some parts of the upper stage and payload shield were allowed to re enter.
Maybe. Depending on when that stuff was released, it was probably in orbit or close enough to it to hang out for a long time, weeks, months, or more. Anything released prior to orbital velocity would have re-entered shortly after the launch... as it loses altitude atmospheric drag will pull it down very quickly.
The payload fairing was released pretty early, so I imagine it came down quick, might have taken a few hours, but more likely less than an hour.
More likely it was space debris (ie dead satellite) that had been up there for a while, or maybe a big meteor or even a small comet. Satellites and comets would probably provide better fireworks, since they would break up more than a meteor (typically solid rock/metal).