{"id":629135,"date":"2026-08-09T21:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T21:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/629135\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T21:00:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T21:00:27","slug":"how-the-space-jellyfish-phenomenon-lights-up-the-night-sky-and-why-it-happens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/629135\/","title":{"rendered":"How the ‘space jellyfish’ phenomenon lights up the night sky and why it happens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most people hear the term “space jellyfish” and assume it probably has something to do with the animal in our oceans, but it’s actually a phenomenon that happens after some rocket launches.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Space jellyfish are typically seen in the sky following a SpaceX<\/a> rocket launch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A space jellyfish was seen over Central Florida after SpaceX’s launch of another batch of Starlink satellites.<\/p>\n

This happens particularly during a Falcon 9 rocket launch, and it’s because the rocket’s engines expel water vapor and carbon dioxide, according to Space.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the rocket climbs higher into the sky, the temperature drops and water vapor freezes quickly, forming ice crystals that trail behind the rocket.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How Many Rockets Will Spacex Launch This Month?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"PASADENA,<\/p>\n

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 06: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rises after launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base carrying 25 Starlink internet satellites on April 6, 2026 as seen from Pasadena, California.<\/p>\n

The result is a jellyfish-shaped plume that can be colorful, or just plain white, like in the photo above.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It’s all dependent on the timing of the launch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4 Major Celestial Events To Dominate The Night Sky Next Week<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

If the rocket launch happens around twilight, the effect can have a rainbow or iridescent-like appearance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LOMPOC,<\/p>\n

LOMPOC, CA – JANUARY 24: SpaceX, an American aerospace manufacturer, successfully launches a pre-dawn (under a crescent moon) a Falcon 9 rocket with multiple Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base on January 24, 2025, in Lompoc, California.<\/p>\n

If it happens in the dark or during the daylight, it’s much less likely to be seen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How To Watch Fox Weather<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 rockets quite frequently for its missions to get Starlink and other equipment into space.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their primary launch locations are in California and Florida, and occur about every two to three days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Original article source: How the ‘space jellyfish’ phenomenon lights up the night sky and why it happens<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most people hear the term “space jellyfish” and assume it probably has something to do with the animal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629136,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[270],"tags":[18,18098,19,17,13048,162862,44045,9129,133,451,171109,9150,40540],"class_list":["post-629135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-eire","tag-falcon-9-rocket","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-jellyfish","tag-phenomenon","tag-rocket-launch","tag-rocket-launches","tag-science","tag-space","tag-space-jellyfish","tag-starlink-satellites","tag-vandenberg-space-force-base"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/117067568957716822","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}