{"id":995416,"date":"2026-08-12T04:41:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T04:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/995416\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T04:41:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T04:41:26","slug":"huge-space-jellyfish-to-light-up-california-skies-tonight-and-the-free-tool-to-check-if-you-can-see-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/995416\/","title":{"rendered":"Huge \u2018space jellyfish\u2019 to light up California skies tonight \u2014 and the free tool to check if you can see it"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s yet another reason for Californians to keep an eye on the night sky this week.<\/p>\n

In addition to the annual Perseid meteor shower<\/a>, a manmade space phenomenon is set to light up our nights.<\/p>\n

Experts say there’s a strong likelihood of spotting a “space jellyfish,” a surreal vision that occurs when sunlight reflects off of the exhaust plumes of a recently launched rocket during evening twilight or early morning.<\/p>\n

\"Tonight,<\/p>\n

Tonight, a SpaceX Starlink launch could create a stunning ‘space jellyfish’ in the night sky, experts predict. X\/@spacejellyalert<\/p>\n

As the rocket makes its ascent into the upper atmosphere, the exhaust is illuminated while decreasing temperatures turn water vapor into ice crystals that trail behind the rocket.<\/p>\n

The effect creates the appearance of an otherworldly, jellyfish-like shape for those watching from the relative darkness of Earth.<\/p>\n

The nature of these plumes varies from colorful to white, depending on the timing of the launch. Morning typically produces white jellies, while twilight launches can create a more rainbow or iridescent quality.<\/p>\n

These sky shapes typically appear after a\u00a0SpaceX\u00a0rocket launch, specifically, a Falcon 9 rocket launched at either of the two SpaceX facilities in Florida or the SoCal base.<\/p>\n

Space Jellyfish Alerts<\/a>, a website that estimates the likelihood that a rocket launch will produce a jellie, has shared that tonight’s Starlink launch could indeed give rise to the phenomenon.<\/p>\n

Starlink 17-49 will launch tonight at 8:00 PM PDT and enter sunlight approximately 40 seconds after takeoff.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The nature of these jellies varies from colorful to white, depending on the timing of the launch. Morning typically produces white jellies, while twilight launches can create a more rainbow or iridescent quality. Space.com<\/p>\n

Detailed predictions based on location can be found here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Space Jellyfish Alerts notes that local sky brightness could interfere with visibility.<\/p>\n

Owned by Elon Musk<\/a>, SpaceX, which has made its polarizing founder the world’s first trillionaire<\/a>, harbors grand ambitions like building data centers in space and colonizing Mars\u00a0<\/p>\n

The jellyfish bloom comes in the wake of a newsworthy week for SpaceX.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, SpaceX showed its first report card since its blockbuster market debut in June<\/a> \u2013 notching a 92% surge in revenue despite losing $541 million in the second quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, it was reported that a piece of a SpaceX rocket smashed into the moon<\/a> at high speed.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A space jellyfish is seen over Central Florida after SpaceX’s launch of another batch of Starlink satellites. (Tribune News Service) TNS<\/p>\n

Also on Wednesday, SpaceX shares tanked nearly 14%<\/a> after it revealed a massive jump in spending on AI investments.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Musk announced plans to build Terafab “the largest and most valuable building on Earth by far.<\/a>“<\/p>\n

A jointly built Tesla and SpaceX semiconductor megafactory, Terafab will rise in Grimes County, Texas, just outside Houston, with a first phase price tag of $16.8 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It will be stunningly beautiful,” Musk wrote on X. “Sci-fi city is what we’re aiming for,” he said in\u00a0another X post.<\/a><\/p>\n

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