Marvel at the Insane Photos of a Space Jellyfish Formed by a SpaceX Rocket

Space
Matt Growcoot
Two side-by-side views of a rocket launch plume in the night sky, showing glowing blue, orange, and red exhaust clouds.
NASA/Bill White

NASA has released a series of show-stopping photos showing a “space jellyfish” hanging over the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The photos, taken by NASA and SpaceX photographers, were taken on Tuesday and show the phenomenon of a cosmic jellyfish created by a SpaceX Falcon 9.

A bright rocket plume expands in the night sky, creating a glowing blue ring and a large, diffuse cloud of exhaust.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was blasting off as part of the company’s 35th commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station for NASA. | SpaceX
A bright, glowing blue and pink plume of exhaust from a rocket launch rises into a dark night sky above silhouetted trees.
The rocket’s exhaust plumes, illuminated by sunlight against the predawn sky, created a glowing jellyfish-like shape. This can also happen with a launch near sunset. | NASA/Bill White
Large circular glow created by a rocket exhaust plume fills the predawn sky above the horizon.
Dragon, the spacecraft atop the rocket, will deliver about 6,300 pounds of science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. | SpaceX

NASA explains that as the Falcon 9 climbed through the upper atmosphere, sunlight illuminated the expanding exhaust plume, creating a glowing, jellyfish-like shape high above Earth. PetaPixel has reported on this phenomenon before.

“What looks like a sea creature drifting through the night sky is actually rocket exhaust interacting with the thin upper atmosphere and catching sunlight before the sun rises or sets over the horizon,” NASA says on Instagram.

“Moments like these remind us that spaceflight is not only about exploration and science, but also about inspiring awe in everyone who looks up.”

A rocket launches into the night sky, leaving a long, bright orange trail that curves toward the right, next to a blue cloud.
SpaceX
A bright rocket plume creates a large, glowing blue and orange nebula-like cloud against a dark, starry night sky.
SpaceX
Falcon 9 rocket stands beside its launch tower while a diffuse exhaust cloud glows in the sky behind the pad.
After the launch, the first-stage booster touched back down (pictured) at Landing Zone 40. Dragon will deliver about 6,300 pounds of science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station.

The Falcon 9 rocket launched at 6.33 A.M., and this early-morning timing created the right conditions for the jellyfish.

The rocket blasted off in a northeasterly direction, meaning that people in Georgia and New York could also see the spectacle. Photographer Gary Hershorn captured the same rocket over the Manhattan skyline.


If you live in the area and missed it, don’t worry because there is another SpaceX Falcon 9 launch scheduled for the same time and from the same location on Monday (October 19) at 6.30 A.M.

Updated with Instagram video.

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