Space jellyfish

A space jellyfish (also jellyfish UFO or rocket jellyfish) is a rocket launch-related phenomenon caused by sunlight reflecting off the high-altitude rocket plume gases emitted by a launching rocket during morning or evening twilight. The observer is in darkness, while the exhaust plumes at high altitudes are still in direct sunlight. This luminous apparition is reminiscent of a jellyfish. Sightings of the phenomenon have led to panic, fear of nuclear missile strike, and reports of unidentified flying objects.

A similar effect is the twilight phenomenon.

List of rocket launches causing space jellyfish

Rocket launch Payload Date Location Summary Notes References Spectrum Jellyfish on the livestream at 1:01:34 : https://www.youtube.com/live/Ss1DUqLjecc?si=XIY2gtkYMPGVONvZ Mission 2 : Onward and Upward 5 September 2026 Andøya Space, Norway Evening launch (10:12 pm CEST) creates a jellyfish. https://isaraerospace.com/mission-updates-overview date=2026-09-05 |website=isaraerospace.com Falcon 9 Starlink Mission 22 April 2026 Vandenberg Space Force Base SLC-4E Evening launch (8:23 pm PDT) creates a jellyfish.Personal sighting. https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-17-14|access-date=2026-04-23 |website=Space.comFalcon 9 Starlink Mission28 September 2025Vandenberg Space Force Base SLC-4EEvening launch creates a jellyfish.Falcon 9 Starlink Group 10-2626 July 2025Florida SLC-40Early morning (5:01AM) Starlink launch. Jellyfish caused by the rising Sun.Falcon 9Starlink Mission10 February 2025Vandenberg Space Force Base California SLC-4E Evening launch (6:09 PM) creates a jellyfish plume across California skies.Falcon 9Starlink Mission3 July 2024Florida SLC-40Firefly Alpha flight FLTA005Eight CubeSatsVandenberg Space Force BaseFalcon 9 flight 361Starlink Group 9-1Vandenberg Space Force BaseFalcon 9 flight 339Starlink Group 6-63FloridaNight-time Starlink launch. Jellyfish caused by moonlight.Falcon 9 flight 338Starlink Group 6-62FloridaNight-time Starlink launch. Jellyfish caused by moonlight.Falcon 9 flight 232Transporter 8Vandenberg Space Force BaseAfternoon launch – plume observed over Eastern Europe, approximately 75 minutes after launchTest flight of an unidentified Indian missileNoneIndia, Myanmar, BangladeshAn early evening test launch. Assumed to be of an Agni-V ICBM Falcon 9 flight 152 Starlink Group 4–17 Florida An early-morning launch causing UFO reports Falcon 9 flight 126Inspiration4 FloridaThe first fully civilian crewed orbital spaceflight, launched from Cape Canaveral after sunsetSoyuz-2.1.a launchProgress MS-17 European RussiaA Soyuz-2.1a launched the Progress MS-17 to the International Space Station from Baikonur Site 31 on 29 June 2021. As the rocket reached the upper atmosphere the expanded rocket plume was illuminated by the Sun, creating a "jellyfish". Falcon 9 flight 114 Florida A crewed Cape Canaveral launch in the pre-dawn. The "jellyfish" lasted over 10 minutes after liftoff. In addition to the "jellyfish" created by the second stage, the returning first stage also made visible plumes. Falcon 9 flight 62 California A West Coast launch off California, in the post-dusk; causing UFO reports Falcon 9 flight 57 Florida An East Coast launch off Florida, in the pre-dawn Soyuz-2.1.b launch Glonass-M satellite European Russia A launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome heading over the cities of Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, Russia Falcon 9 flight 46 Iridium-NEXT launch SpaceX-4 California A West Coast launch off California, in the post-dusk Atlas V 551 AV-056 flight MUOS-4U.S. Navy Mobile User Objective System satellite Florida A Cape Canaveral launch in the pre-dawn Meteor-M2 weather satellite European Russia A launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan RS-12M Topol-M nuclear missile test launch Eurasia Launched from Kapustin Yar, Russia; to crash into Sary Shagan, Kazakhstan Kosmos 1188 European Russia A launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome resulted in a giant U-shaped jellyfish appearing over Moscow and Kalinin, Russia Kosmos 955 Northern Europe A launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome resulted in a jellyfish vapour trail seen over northern Europe, causing the UFO incident known as the "Petrozavodsk phenomenon"

See also Noctilucent cloud Exhaust gas Contrail Twilight phenomenon

Notes

References

Space jellyfish

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