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SpaceX Rocket Launch Creates Surreal Glowing Jellyfish Cloud Over Florida
- •A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Tuesday, carrying over 6300 pounds of supplies for the International Space Station.
- •Observers across Florida and Georgia captured stunning photos of a glowing jellyfish-like cloud forming in the sky during the early morning launch.
- •The surreal visual effect occurs when sunlight illuminates the expanding exhaust plume of a rocket in the upper atmosphere while the ground remains in darkness.
- •The phenomenon is typically visible only when rocket launches take place about an hour before sunrise or after sunset.
- •The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to dock at the ISS and remain there until mid-November for scientific research and cargo delivery.
Key Questions Answered
A space jellyfish cloud occurs when sunlight illuminates the expanding exhaust plume of a rocket in the upper atmosphere while the ground remains shrouded in darkness. This striking optical effect typically happens during early morning or pre-sunrise launches.
The glowing jellyfish cloud was spotted in the sky on Tuesday, October 13, across Central Florida and even as far as Georgia. The Falcon 9 rocket and SpaceX Dragon spacecraft lifted off around 5:33 am from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The spacecraft is part of NASA's 35th commercial resupply mission, transporting over 6,300 pounds of supplies, hardware, scientific experiments, and cargo to the International Space Station. The SpaceX Dragon is scheduled to dock at the ISS on Thursday, October 15, and remain there until mid-November.
