Early risers across Florida were treated to an unexpected light show Wednesday morning, March 4, when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket streaked across the sky, leaving behind a glowing plume that resembled a giant jellyfish floating in the atmosphere.
The launch took place at 5:52 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rocket carried 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit as part of SpaceX’s ongoing effort to expand its global satellite internet network.
But for people watching from the ground, the mission quickly turned into a visual spectacle.
As the Falcon 9 climbed into the upper atmosphere, sunlight from the still-hidden sunrise illuminated the rocket’s exhaust plume. The result was a bright, translucent cloud that spread outward behind the vehicle, creating a shape that many observers compared to a jellyfish drifting across the sky.
Meteorologists say the phenomenon—often nicknamed a “space jellyfish”—is a known effect that sometimes appears during rocket launches around dawn or dusk.
FOX 35 meteorologist Brooks Garner explained that the glowing effect occurs when sunlight hits the rocket’s exhaust high above Earth while the sky below remains dark.
“It’s not a UFO,” Garner said during coverage of the launch. Instead, the phenomenon forms when sunlight reflects off the rocket’s exhaust plume in the upper atmosphere, creating the unusual glowing shape visible from the ground.
Videos and photos quickly flooded social media as people across Florida—and even farther north along the East Coast—captured the surreal moment. The glowing plume appeared in shades of blue and orange as the rocket climbed toward orbit.
While the sky show drew attention, the mission itself marked another milestone for SpaceX’s rapidly expanding Starlink project.
The Falcon 9 carried 29 satellites into orbit during the Starlink 10-40 mission. The launch also included the 600th Starlink satellite sent into space so far in 2026.
The rocket’s first-stage booster, identified as B1080, completed its 25th trip to space during the mission. After separating from the upper stage, the booster returned to Earth and landed roughly eight and a half minutes after liftoff on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.