'Space Jellyfish' Streaks Across GA During Rocket Launch: Photos

Did you see it? No, it wasn't an alien spaceship but an early morning SpaceX rocket launch had Georgia gazing at the sky.

By Amanda Lumpkin, Patch Staff

Oct 13, 2026 10:10 AM EDT

Ryan Ash, a park ranger at Fort Mountain State Park in Chatsworth, captures the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch early Tuesday morning in Georgia. The launch occurred at 6:33 a.m. in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Photo by Ryan Ash)

A "space jellyfish" amazed Georgia residents when SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket early Tuesday in Florida.

The rocket successfully launched at 6:33 a.m. from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, according to the Naval Station Mayport.

In Georgia, the rocket shot across the sky and created a jellyfish-like effect over the Peach State.

Clear weather aided sky-gazers in witnessing the phenomenon, including in Paulding County.

"Anyone else see the ATLiens cross the horizon this morning," the Paulding County Sheriff's Office asked in a Facebook post.

The sight was seen by Ryan Ash, a park ranger at Fort Mountain State Park in Chatsworth.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch is visible around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday in Elberton. (Photo by Chelsea Campbell-Paladi)

Elberton resident Chelsea Campbell-Paladi was in her backyard when a burst of light illuminated the sky near her home.

"It was so bright and beautiful and just seemed to soar across the sky," she told Patch.

Early risers in Cobb County looked up to view the jellyfish, including Michelle Baker, who captured the sight to see with her drone.

"I live in a tree covered area so I took advantage of the unique opportunity to enjoy and capture the launch with the drone," she said.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch shoots across the sky and can be seen over The Battery Atlanta in Cobb County early Tuesday. (Photo by Michele Baker | Peach Slice Creatives)

Falcon 9 was accompanied by the Dragon spacecraft. The launch supported NASA's SpaceX 35th commercial resupply mission, carrying at least 6,300 pounds of supplies and hardware to the International Space Station, according to the agency.

"Dragon also is delivering several new experiments, including hardware to manufacture artificial retinas in microgravity that could help restore vision for patients on Earth and 3D heart tissue models to advance large-scale drug testing on future space missions. Dragon also will carry materials to study how a new type of glass is formed in microgravity, and brain organoids that could uncover potential treatment targets for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis," NASA stated.

Dragon is set to dock to the space-facing port of the ISS' Harmony module at 11 a.m. Thursday. NASA will stream the docking and rendezvous, starting at 9:15 a.m. Thursday.