- SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket
- SpaceX
On Saturday, October 5th, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off after sunset and heading eastward. However, because it reached a high altitude where the sun’s rays are unobstructed by the earth’s atmosphere, what appeared to be sunlight was in fact hitting the condensation trail left behind by the rocket. This atmospheric phenomenon is called a space jellyfish.
This space jellyfish was particularly special because it was created by the Falcon 9 rocket itself. The rocket’s exhaust plumes contain water vapor, which condenses and freezes in the cold upper atmosphere to form ice crystals. These ice crystals reflect sunlight, creating the illusion of a glowing jellyfish.
SpaceX captured this unique event on their floating platform, which is located in the Atlantic Ocean. The footage shows the space jellyfish slowly drifting away from the rocket as it dissipates.
This is just one example of the many amazing things that SpaceX has captured on their floating platform. In addition to providing a unique vantage point for watching rockets take off, the platform also serves as a landing site for returned rockets. This allows SpaceX to reuse their rockets, which helps to reduce the cost of spaceflight.
The platform has also been used to capture other atmospheric phenomena, such as twilight colors and the northern lights.