Public captures glowing 'space jellyfish' after SpaceX resupply launch
A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral on a NASA resupply flight to the International Space Station. Its exhaust plume caught sunlight after launch, producing a jellyfish-shaped glow seen by people in Florida and several neighboring states. NASA invited the public to submit images, and observers responded with views from multiple cities.
The CRS-35 mission was the 35th flight under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. Falcon 9 lifted off at 6:33 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, carrying over 6,300 pounds of cargo. Dragon also delivered the last two iROSAs, intended to boost the station’s power system, plus experiments on artificial retinas and heart tissue growth in microgravity.
The “space jellyfish” appears when a rocket’s plume is lit by low-angle sunlight near sunrise or sunset. Observers reported it from Florida cities including Deerfield Beach, Moore Haven, Pensacola, Venice, Port Orange, Gainesville, and Weston, as well as Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Georgia. Dragon was scheduled to dock at Harmony on October 15 and undock around mid-November.
Public photo requests may deepen engagement with spaceflight, letting people in Florida and nearby states participate in a NASA/SpaceX mission through images. The visibility could boost local interest in launches, science communication, and amateur photography. It may also remind residents of shared skies and the ISS’s ongoing research, though effects are likely brief and concentrated among skywatchers, educators, and space enthusiasts.