A space jellyfish (or jellyfish UFO; also rocket jellyfish) is a rocket launch-related phenomenon caused by sunlight reflecting off the high altitude rocket plume gases emitted by a launching rocket during morning or evening twilight. The observer is in darkness, while the exhaust plumes at high altitudes are still in direct sunlight. This luminous apparition is reminiscent of a jellyfish. Sightings of the phenomenon have led to panic, fear of nuclear missile strike, and reports of unidentified flying objects.
List of rocket launches causing space jellyfish
| Rocket launch | Payload | Date | Location | Summary | Notes | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test flight of an unidentified Indian missile | None | 15 December 2022 | India, Myanmar, Bangladesh | An early evening test launch. Assumed to be of an Agni-V ICBM. | |||
| Falcon 9 flight 152 |
|
Starlink Group 4-17 | 6 May 2022 | Florida | An early morning launch causing UFO reports | ||
| Falcon 9 flight 126 |
|
Inspiration4 | 15 September 2021 | Florida | The first fully civilian crewed orbital spaceflight, launched from Cape Canaveral after sunset. | ||
| Soyuz-2.1.a launch | Progress MS-17 | 29 June 2021 | European Russia | A Soyuz-2.1a launched the Progress MS-17 to the International Space Station from Baikonur Site 31 on 29 June 2021. As the rocket reached the upper atmosphere the expanded rocket plume was illuminated by the sun creating a "jellyfish". | |||
| Falcon 9 flight 114 |
|
SpaceX Crew-2 | 23 April 2021 | Florida | A crewed Cape Canaveral launch in the pre-dawn. The "jellyfish" lasted over 10 minutes after liftoff. In addition to the "jellyfish" created by the second stage, the returning first stage also made visible plumes. | ||
| Falcon 9 flight 62 |
|
SAOCOM 1A | 8 October 2018 | California | A West Coast launch off California, in the post-dusk; causing UFO reports | ||
| Falcon 9 flight 57 |
|
SpaceX CRS-15 | 29 June 2018 | Florida | An East Coast launch off Florida, in the pre-dawn | ||
| Soyuz-2.1.b launch | Glonass-M satellite | 17 June 2018 | European Russia | A launch from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome heading over the cities of Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, Russia. | |||
| Falcon 9 flight 46 |
|
SpaceX Iridium 4 | 22 December 2017 | California | A West Coast launch off California, in the post-dusk | ||
| Atlas V 551 AV-056 flight | MUOS-4 | 2 September 2015 | Florida | A Cape Canaveral launch in the pre-dawn. | |||
| Meteor-M2 weather satellite | 8 July 2014 | European Russia | A launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan | ||||
| RS-12M Topol-M nuclear missile test launch |
|
— | 10 October 2013 | Eurasia | Launched from Kapustin Yar, Russia; to crash into Shary Shagan, Kazakhstan. | ||
| Kosmos 1188 | 14 June 1980 | European Russia | A launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome resulted in a giant U-shaped jellyfish appearing over Moscow and Kalinin, Russia. | ||||
| Kosmos 955 | 20 September 1977 | Northern Europe | A launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome resulted in a jellyfish vapour trail seen over northern Europe, causing the UFO incident known as the "Petrozavodsk phenomenon". |
See also
Further reading
- David Clarke (2013). The UFO Files: The Inside Story of Real-life Sightings. A & C Black. ISBN 978-1-4081-9482-9.
- Chris A. Rutkowski (2008). A World of UFOs. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1-77070-343-8.
- James E. Oberg, The "Jellyfish UFO" Dilemma (PDF), Donning
External links
- Hanneke Weitering (29 June 2018). "See the 'Space Jellyfish' and Other Jaw-Dropping Views from SpaceX's Dragon Launch". Space.com.
- Sophie Weiner (24 December 2017). "Watch the Falcon 9 Rocket Leave a Trail of Glowing Clouds in the Sky". Popular Mechanics.
- Associated Press, Lights Over Norway: UFO or Military Rocket? on YouTube, 10 December 2009
- News4JAX (WJXT4), SpaceX launch lights up the sky in an unbelievable way on YouTube, 6 May 2022
