Drone video: SpaceX ‘jellyfish’ glows above St. Augustine Lighthouse
An early morning SpaceX launch wowed across the East Coast and beyond on Tuesday after the SpaceX rocket created the well-known phenomenon known as a space jellyfish.
A SpaceX rocket launch created a spectacular “space jellyfish” over St. Augustine, Florida, on Oct. 13. Sunlight illuminated the rocket’s glowing, jellyfish-shaped exhaust plume high above Earth before sunrise.
A SpaceX rocket turned the early morning sky into a light show along the East Coast on Tuesday, leaving behind a glowing “space jellyfish.”
AccuWeather Storm Chaser Aaron Rigsby captured the glow from a unique angle, flying a drone above the historic lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida.
How does a rocket launch create a jellyfish in the sky?
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station is seen over St. Augustine, Florida, on Oct. 13, 2026. (Image: Aaron Rigsby)
It’s all about timing and light. The Falcon 9 lifted off around 6:30 a.m. EDT, about 40 minutes before sunrise. The ground was still dark, but the sun was already shining high in the atmosphere. As the rocket climbed into that sunlight, its exhaust plume lit up and spread outward in the thin air. The result is a glowing shape that resembles a jellyfish drifting through the sky, which is why the phenomenon is known as the “jellyfish effect.”
Meanwhile, the first-stage booster separated and returned to land at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 40.
SpaceX jellyfish glows across the Eastern Seaboard
An unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying NASA's CRS-35 Cargo Dragon mission to the International Space Station trails a plume as it flies in the sky above the Washington Monument in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Early risers didn’t have to be in Florida to witness the sight. Photos from Washington, D.C., and Knoxville, Tennessee, show the jellyfish glowing just as brightly as the rocket climbed. Timing was key again: The launch happened early enough before sunrise for the plume to stand out across the region.
What’s next for the Dragon spacecraft?
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station is seen over the Tennessee River on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026 in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Camden Hall)
The Falcon 9 carried groceries, supplies and science to the International Space Station. It marked the 35th NASA commercial resupply mission for SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft.
After putting on a show across the Eastern Seaboard, the Dragon capsule is expected to dock at the station around 11 a.m. Thursday. It’s packed with about 6,300 pounds of cargo, including equipment, science experiments and crew supplies.
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