In Photos: SpaceX Rocket Launch Creates Weird 'Jellyfish' Effect Across Florida's Skies
On Wednesday, March 4, the skies of Florida briefly transformed into a glowing spectacle. A luminous "jellyfish" effect appeared across Tampa Bay, Central Florida, and the Sunshine State after a SpaceX Starlink launch. To expand SpaceX's broadband internet service, its Falcon 9 rocket carried about 30 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit early in the morning. When a rocket launches during dusk or dawn, its exhaust plume is illuminated, producing a jellyfish-like cloud. The aerospace company shared pictures of the launch and the stunning visuals that followed. Even though the "jellyfish" effect during rocket launches is not uncommon, it is a sight to behold.
According to Spectrum News 13’s morning meteorologist, Maureen McCann, clear skies make the effect explicitly visible. "Skies remained clear closer to sunrise, so it was easy to see an unusual cloud left in the sky that resulted from the residual exhaust plume from the rocket. It was illuminated by the sun, which was still below the horizon at the time," she said of an earlier jellyfish effect.
The recent SpaceX launch marked the 25th space trip of Booster 1080, the first-stage rocket booster of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The booster successfully landed on the droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" that was positioned off the coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. The recent mission added another 29 Starlink satellites into orbit, upping SpaceX's megaconstellation close to 10,000 units. The company has launched over 600 Starlink missions, and the most recent marked its 28th mission of the year.
What creates the jellyfish-like effect? It often occurs when a rocket launches during dusk or dawn. The exhaust gases released from the rocket's upper stage mainly consist of water vapor and carbon dioxide, as per Space.com. In the higher atmosphere, where the Sun shines slightly on the rocket's high altitude, the sunlight spreads over the exhaust plume, giving it a glowing appearance. Meanwhile, the rest of the sky is engulfed in darkness, making the glowing cloud appear more distinct. The phenomenon where sunlight during dusk or dawn illuminates the exhaust plume of a rocket resembles a "space jellyfish." While the sky is still dim during twilight hours, the upper atmosphere glows in an exquisite hue against the dark skies.
The recent phenomenon was captured by photographers and skywatchers across Florida. John Kraus, a special communications assistant to the administrator at NASA, shared stunning visuals of the phenomenon. "A space jellyfish was seen far and wide across the U.S. east coast this morning as a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida at 5:52am ET and climbed into the rising sun," he captioned the post.
Matt Devitt, a meteorologist in Southwest Florida, shared a picture from an airplane. "JELLYFISH CLOUD! New pictures coming in across Florida from the SpaceX launch this morning!" he captioned the post. "It has this unique look because the rocket and the plume are high enough above Earth that it’s illuminated by sunlight, but down near the ground for us it's still dark before sunrise," he added. Another X user, @robauchincloss, shared a video and wrote, "I watched it taking off from SRQ!" Local residents also expressed their delight over the glowing skies. "Absolutely breathtaking, certainly one to remember. Definitely makes up for the early wakeup," @ChadwickSpace shared.
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