SpaceX launch's cosmic jellyfish paints the skies over Central Florida and beyond

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Oct 13, 2026

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The crisp predawn skies over Central Florida had curious eyes wondering what was unfolding, as an orangish-blue wispy cloud billowed into life ahead of the rising sun.

For those in the know, what was forming is often called the “space jellyfish” effect, the result of the exhaust from a rocket launch creating luminescent clouds that expand and linger in the skies.

The morphing nebula from Tuesday morning’s launch was the result of a SpaceX Falcon 9 flight to resupply the International Space Station.

The rocket lifted off on the CRS-35 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 6:33 a.m., about 50 minutes before sunrise.

As the first-stage booster separated from the cargo Dragon spacecraft, the light show began unfolding not only over the Space Coast, but for those who looked skyward hundreds of miles away.

With clear skies across the East Coast, images began flowing onto social media from afar, with people reporting the phenomenon in South Florida, Tampa and even as far as Washington, D.C.

Local photographer John Kraus of Satellite Beach, a special communications assistant to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, posted his signature quality image of the launch as well.

“Stunning ‘jellyfish’ effect as a Falcon 9 rocket launched cargo toward the International Space Station this morning. This was up there among the most stunning I’ve ever seen and was visible across much of the eastern U.S.,” he posted.

Al Mooney Cooper captured the effect as seen from flying in a plane, sending it to WESH-2 News meteorologist Eric Burris. “Uh, WOW….,” Burris wrote. “That jellyfish cloud from an airplane window. Sheesh.”

About eight minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster, making its eighth trip to space, made a recovery landing adjacent to the launch pad at Landing Zone 40.

SpaceX had warned that the return of the booster could bring a sonic boom as parts of the rocket broke through the sound barrier.

“There is the possibility that residents of Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Indian River, Seminole, Volusia, Polk, St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions,” SpaceX stated in a media alert.

This was the 35th resupply mission for SpaceX under NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contract. This one is bringing up about 6,300 pounds of supplies including science and technology experiments.

This was the 59th launch from the Space Coast from all providers in 2026, with all but seven coming from SpaceX.

This is the fourth trip to space for the Dragon spacecraft on the mission, which has about a 52-hour flight ahead of it before it meets up with the space station, targeting docking on Thursday at 11 a.m.

It heads to the station after a parking spot opened up last week when Crew-12 departed the orbiting laboratory, as there are only two docking ports that can support Dragon spacecraft.

The other port on the station is taken up by the Crew Dragon Grace that brought up the four members of Crew-13, including Central Florida and NASA astronaut Luke Delaney, at the beginning of the month.

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