'Space Jellyfish' Spotted Over MD Skies After SpaceX Launch

Thanks to clear skies, early risers across the region were able to spot a "space jellyfish" during a SpaceX launch.

By Gaby Arancibia, Patch Staff

Aug 25, 2026 5:30 PM EDT | Updated Aug 25, 2026 5:53 PM EDT

Early risers in Maryland were given quite the present on Tuesday: a space jellyfish.

The phenomenon was the aftermath of a SpaceX launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

The jellyfish appearance is caused by sunlight reflecting off the high-altitude rocket plume gases during the rocket launch.

A glowing 'jellyfish' effect from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen in the early morning sky over Washington, D.C., near the Thomas Jefferson Memorial on Tuesday. (Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)

With the help of clear skies, residents were able to spot a glowing plume shortly after 5:30 a.m.

Reports of a cloud-like glow emerged across the region, from the nation's capital to Maryland and Virginia.

Did you catch a glimpse of the space jellyfish on Tuesday morning?

Send the image to Gaby.Arancibia@Patch.com — along with the proper attribution and confirmation that you own the content — to have it featured in a Patch post.

A glowing "jellyfish" effect from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen in the early morning sky over Washington, D.C. The phenomenon occurs when sunlight illuminates the rocket's expanding exhaust plume at high altitude while the sky below remains dark. (Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)

SpaceX's Tuesday launch carried 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. While the company regularly conducts launches, both the timing and weather must align to create the phenomenon.

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