A SpaceX launch turned the Florida sky into a spectacle just before dawn on Tuesday, when a luminous cloud shaped like a "space jellyfish" became visible from various locations across the state and the East Coast of the United States.
The launch occurred at 6:33 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, as part of SpaceX's CRS-35 mission for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), which sent over 6,300 pounds of supplies, experiments, and equipment to the International Space Station.
The meteorologist Matt Devitt shared images of the phenomenon on social media and described it as a "JELLYFISH CLOUD!"
As he explained, this striking aspect occurs because the rocket and its trail are already high enough to receive sunlight, while on the ground, the darkness before dawn still prevails.
Cuban meteorologist Rubén Capote, chief meteorologist at Telemundo 49 in Tampa, also reacted, summarizing the scene with a brief phrase: "What happened with the Falcon 9 this morning was simply spectacular."
The effect, popularly known as "space jellyfish," occurs when the plume of gases expelled by the rocket expands at high altitude and is illuminated by sunlight, creating a bright shape with blue, purple, and orange hues that can be seen from great distances.
Local media in Florida highlighted that the glow was visible in many parts of the state, resulting in a flurry of photos and videos on social media just hours after the launch.
This Tuesday's mission is part of NASA's commercial resupply program and is transporting cargo and scientific material to the orbital station.
If everything goes according to plan, the Dragon capsule from the CRS-35 mission will autonomously dock with the International Space Station this Thursday.
This is not the first time a SpaceX launch has astonished the region.
In February 2025, an unusual light in the sky surprised residents of eastern Cuba following another Falcon 9 launch from Florida.
More recently, another mission from the company brought Cape Canaveral back into the spotlight when the Dragon spacecraft of Crew-13 arrived at the International Space Station in record time.
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