JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Many people on the First Coast woke up Wednesday morning allured by the "light in the sky."
That light, captured in several photos, some shared in First Coast News' Weather Watchers Facebook page, is a phenomenon sometimes known as a 'space jellyfish.' It was caused by a SpaceX launch that happened just before 5 a.m.
The SpaceX launch was a Starlink mission that took place from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, according to the company's website, in which a Falcon 9 rocket went up to low-Earth orbit with 20 Starlink satellites, including 13 with 'Direct to Cell' capabilities.
As the rocket launches into space, it creates an exhaust plume made of ice crystals. During pre-dawn launches, once the rocket reaches a high enough altitude, it will eventually reach the sun's rays. Those rays will reflect off the ice crystals of the exhaust plume and create the glowing halo. The plume can even contain visual shock waves as the space ship becomes supersonic.
Amazed by the spectacle in the sky, Bradley Childs told First Coast News: "This one (the launch) was unique because there was a rolling thunder that we usually don't hear up here. There was also a small sonic boom like I would hear when the space shuttle re-entered the atmosphere."
If you ever catch something visually pleasing in the atmosphere or elsewhere that's weather-related, you can share your pictures to the First Coast News Weather Watchers Facebook page or via the 'Near Me' function of the FCN app.