‘Thought aliens were comin.’ Photos and videos capture dazzling SpaceX morning launch
A bright streak lit up the early-morning sky, leaving skywatchers dazzled and puzzled.
The phenomenon — which news outlets report is known as a “space jellyfish” — was spotted as SpaceX launched satellites on Friday, May 6. Though the flight was out of Kennedy Space Center in Florida, social media users captured its effects in the Sunshine State and beyond.
“My wife saw the ‘space jellyfish’ SpaceX starlink launch this morning she thought aliens were comin dwn,” one person wrote in a Twitter post.
Another user tweeted: “Got to watch a space jellyfish form from my front yard this morning. So cool!”
Photos and videos from the 5:42 a.m. launch showed a halo-like effect in the sky. WESH and WTVT reported the conditions seen above the Earth were due to the “space jellyfish” effect.
The timing of the liftoff made it possible for exhaust to create the phenomenon in areas with clear skies, Florida Today reported.
“Basically, what’s happening is, it’s still dark outside, but you have the sun illuminating the plume as it’s in space,” Jessica Jensen, director of Dragon mission management at SpaceX, told space.com in 2018. “I like to refer to it as the space jellyfish that’s coming down after us.”
Here are other scenes that social media users reported seeing:
SpaceX didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on May 6.
This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 10:04 AM with the headline "‘Thought aliens were comin.’ Photos and videos capture dazzling SpaceX morning launch."
