Residents from across the North Island have taken to social media sharing their concern, amazement and wonder over a strange phenomenon in the pre-dawn sky.

Many theories were put forward, including aliens or a rare weather pattern, but Rocket Lab has claimed it, saying it was a successful launch of a satellite.

This photo of the "space jellyfish" was taken just around 5.30am in Mount Maunganui. Photo / Bijou Johnson

A spokesperson from the space agency said a radar satellite was launched from Mahia Peninsula for Japanese Earth-imaging company Synspective.

This is the seventh launch Rocket Lab has completed for Synspective, lifting off just after 5.30am.

From Whangārei, down to Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Tauranga, people shared photos of the cloud and its long, wispy tail that followed.

Wispy clouds were spotted in many parts of the North Island after the launch, including in Tauranga. Photo / Bijou Johnson

A spokesperson from Rocket Lab said the strange orb-shaped cloud that many saw is called a “space jellyfish”, a phenomenon that can happen when sunlight reflects off the exhaust plume from the rocket’s engines.

This is Rocket Lab’s 15th launch this year and 73rd launch overall. “Owl New World” was just one of 21 upcoming missions to deploy Synspective’s Earth-imaging constellation before the end of the decade.

What many people likely saw was a space jellyfish - a phenomenon that can happen when sunlight reflects off the exhaust plume from the rocket’s engines. Photo / Aaron Bennett