What was in the sky in Florida? Morning SpaceX rocket launch creates 'space jellyfish'
In case you missed it, something very rare happened in the sky this morning. As SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with 53 Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center, it caused a 'space jellyfish'.
The post-launch "jellyfish effect," is caused by illumination of the rocket's exhaust plume high in the atmosphere and only happens during launches right around sunrise or sunset. It did form as expected and although it wasn't visible from some popular viewing locations due to thin layers of scattered clouds, people from other locations as far away as Georgia got a great view!
Take a look at some of the Twitter and Instagram views we found to share!
The next scheduled launch is Thursday, May 19, of the Starliner OFT-2.
Space Jellyfish from Waycross, Georgia
SPACE JELLYFISH
From today’s SpaceX launch. Beautiful pic.twitter.com/98mzIGHDOm— Chris Combs (@DrChrisCombs) May 6, 2022
Space Jellyfish are cool in Central Florida
OMG the space jellyfish is so cool! Living in Central Florida is def kinda fun sometimes! #SpaceX pic.twitter.com/LRUdjG1PGt
— Sam Gallaher 🇺🇦 (@samwell224) May 6, 2022
St. Petersburg Pier space jellyfish sighting
The "Space Jellyfish" from this AMs @SpaceX #Starlink 4-17 launch this morning. Full trail shot over the @StPetePier to follow later today or tomorrow. #spacex #starlink417 #Astrophotography #rocketlaunch pic.twitter.com/1IAX1bPVg2
— Matthew Paulson (@MattPaulson28) May 6, 2022
Space jellyfish sighting on the Space Coast
A @SpaceX sunrise from the Space Coast! 🚀
The most incredible launch I’ve ever seen - the Falcon 9 launch with the rare “space jellyfish effect.”
Not many launches produce the effect – several factors must line up *perfectly* for it to occur. pic.twitter.com/DHjYKj6q6R— Upasna Gautam (@UpasnaGautam) May 6, 2022
Instagram had a lot of sightings of the 'space jellyfish'.
Brevard County photo of the 'space jellyfish'
Video of the space jellyfish and the rocket booster return to earth
Friday morning SpaceX launch of Falcon 9 rocket
This morning's 230-foot SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket wrapped up a jam-packed week of space news early Friday, delivering dozens of Starlink internet satellites to orbit just hours after astronauts returned from the International Space Station.
The 5:42 a.m. ET launch from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A marked the 45th dedicated flight for Starlink, a SpaceX-built network of satellites that deliver internet connectivity to users on the ground. The rocket's first stage, flying its 12th mission, was recovered by the Shortfall of Gravitas drone ship shortly after liftoff.
SpaceX has launched some 2,500 satellites for Starlink. Due to decaying orbits and malfunctions, however, the constellation stands at roughly 2,000 satellites.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida 'jellyfish' in the sky from SpaceX launch: Best tweets, Instagrams
