Cosmic 'jellyfish' wows skywatchers after SpaceX launch | Space photo of the day for Oct. 14, 2026
Early-morning skywatchers recently spotted a glowing, orange and blue "jellyfish" pattern stretching across the twilight sky. The striking visual phenomenon followed a SpaceX rocket launch.
Early-morning skywatchers recently spotted a glowing, orange and blue "jellyfish" pattern stretching across the twilight sky. The striking visual phenomenon followed a SpaceX rocket launch. SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the CRS-35 cargo mission on Oct. 13, 2026. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
It carried a robotic Dragon capsule loaded with thousands of pounds of supplies for the International Space Station. This flight marks the 35th cargo mission SpaceX has flown to the orbiting laboratory under its Commercial Resupply Services agreement with NASA. The Dragon capsule is scheduled to autonomously dock with the station's Harmony module.
The glowing jellyfish effect occurs when rocket exhaust expands in the cold upper atmosphere. Water vapor and carbon dioxide expelled by the rocket freeze into ice crystals. When a launch happens near dawn or dusk, sunlight illuminates this high-altitude plume while the ground remains dark.
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Original publication: 14 October 2026 19:30
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