Incredible Footage Captures Glowing ‘Space Jellyfish’ During SpaceX Launch
Incredible footage captured a glowing, jellyfish-shaped cloud spreading across the sky as a SpaceX rocket launched from Florida in the early morning. Kelly Berringer filmed the spectacular sight in Orlando on Tuesday, October 13, as a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rocket's bright exhaust plume expanded against the dark sky, creating an unusual luminous shape with a rounded top and a long trailing tail. The phenomenon, often called a “space jellyfish,” occurs when sunlight illuminates a rocket's exhaust plume high in the atmosphere while the ground below remains in darkness. The launch took place about 40 minutes before sunrise. Although the sky was still dark in Florida, the Sun had already begun illuminating the gases and water vapor released by the rocket at high altitude, creating the striking effect. The glowing plume was visible across much of the eastern United States, with reports of sightings far beyond Florida. The launch was part of NASA's SpaceX CRS-35 mission, which carried a Dragon cargo spacecraft loaded with supplies, equipment and scientific experiments for the International Space Station. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:33 a.m. EDT. Approximately seven minutes later, its first-stage booster returned to Earth and landed at Landing Zone 40.