SpaceX Jellyfish Cloud Seen Across Southeast

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:33 a.m. ET on Tuesday, October 13, creating an unusual atmospheric display visible across Florida, Georgia, and Ohio.

The rocket's exhaust spread through the upper atmosphere, where water vapor froze into ice crystals. Sunlight reflecting off the crystals from below the horizon created the illusion of a giant jellyfish drifting across the pre-dawn sky. Residents from Riverview to the Dayton area reported the phenomenon, which local news outlets captured in photos and videos.