Residents across Florida were treated with a spectacular light display Tuesday morning. The launch of a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral caused what's known as a 'space jellyfish', a visual phenomenon that occurs only in specific conditions.
The display gets its name from its resemblance to a familiar marine animal. As it appears in the sky, the shape starts with a wide plume before tapering off into wispy trails of light that form the jellyfish's 'tentacles'.
SpaceX launched its CRS-35 mission at 6:35 a.m. EST on Tuesday from the Kennedy Space Center on Florida's Atlantic coast. The launch of a Falcon 9 rocket served as a resupply mission for the International Space Station. According to NASA, over 6,300 scientific investigations and cargo were aboard the rocket. The mission was SpaceX's 35th commercial resupply operation conducted for NASA.
Some people knew ahead of time that the launch would create a unique atmospheric display. Possibly some inferred its origin from the relative frequency of launches from the Kennedy Space Center. Others posted their surprise and confusion when the dawn sky was suddenly illuminated by something positively alien in appearance.
"You can imagine my surprise when I opened my back door to let the dogs out this morning," said Georgia resident Ellen Alence as reported by Space.com. She snapped several photos of the display which were among the thousands making their rounds on social media over the past couple days.
"A jellyfish happens near sunrise or sunset when the exhaust plume from the rocket becomes brightly illuminated, creating a glowing shape resembling a jellyfish," NASA said of the unique phenomenon. Photos from observers appeared to show some variation in the appearance of the jellyfish depending on timing, location, and even camera equipment. A smartphone picture in Gainesville proved to look quite different than a professional camera shot from Tampa.
