APOD: 2026 March 19 Б Launch Plume: SpaceX Jellyfish
Explanation:
Even if you live with your head
in the clouds, you wonБt find a jellyfish
like this one very often.
The featured image
shows a SpaceX Falcon
9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral
in Florida on March 4.
The launch happened 52 minutes before sunrise,
and the second
stage rocket
exhaust plume was high enough in the
sky to catch the light of the
rising sun, while the photographer
was still in the dark.
This combination of light and shadow, possible at dawn
or dusk, makes the exhaust, mostly water
vapor and carbon
dioxide, appear as a glowing cloud.
It only looks like it's going down, as the rocket follows the
curvature
of the Earth on its way to space.
A related effect is the twilight
phenomenon, which causes colorful contrails
sometimes mistaken for UFOs.
But, in case you are wondering: real jellyfish
were sent to space by NASA in the 1990s as part
of a science
experiment.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
