A bright “space jellyfish” appeared over North Georgia and metro Atlanta early on Tuesday after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The glowing plume was visible before sunrise as the rocket climbed into the upper atmosphere, where sunlight caught the exhaust and turned it into a large, luminous shape above the region.
The launch took place at 6.33am local time from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It carried a Dragon spacecraft on SpaceX’s CRS-35 mission, delivering more than 6,300lb of supplies, equipment and scientific experiments to the International Space Station.
Why the SpaceX rocket plume looked like a jellyfish
Rocket exhaust can spread across a wide area at high altitude, with water vapour freezing into ice particles. When those particles are illuminated by the sun while the ground remains in darkness, the plume can take on a bright, jellyfish-like appearance, complete with trailing strands.
NASA said the Dragon spacecraft is also carrying the final pair of roll-out solar arrays for the space station. The equipment will help increase the laboratory’s available power for research and operations.
The spacecraft is expected to reach the International Space Station on Thursday, 15 October, after an approximately 52-hour journey.
The unusual sight prompted people across the region to share photographs and videos of the glowing formation as it drifted across the morning sky.
