--- title: "SpaceX Launch Spits Out Epic, Firey Jellyfish in Night Sky" description: "SpaceX launched the first-ever all-tourist mission into orbit Wednesday evening. The launch caused an epic \"jellyfish\"-like aurora to form in the night sky." date: "2021-09-16" modified: "2021-09-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-launch-epic-jellyfish" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "crew dragon" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Launch Spits Out Epic, Firey Jellyfish in Night Sky ![SpaceX launched the first-ever all-tourist mission into orbit Wednesday evening. The launch caused an epic "jellyfish"-like aurora to form in the night sky.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Fireworks SpaceX launched the first-ever all-tourist mission into orbit Wednesday evening. When the Falcon 9 rocket [took off]() from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at around 8 pm Eastern time, about half an hour after sunset, onlookers were treated to an incredible sight: a hazy, [jellyfish-like]() "nebula" caused by the rocket burning its propellant during its ascent into space. One image shared by *Supercluster* photojournalist Erik Kuna shows off the unique lightshow in spectacular fashion: https://twitter.com/SuperclusterHQ/status/1438305563956350980 ## Refracting Rays While it isn't technically a planetary nebula, the phenomenon sure resembles the hot, exploding shell of superheated gas, released by a dying star. But the effect is actually produced by [the rocket's chemicals]() reacting with the air particles around them. Some of the rocket exhausts freeze and form clouds, while the remaining rays of the Sun, still illuminating regions above the Earth's surface shortly after nightfall, interact with those particles and refract through them, reproducing spectacular ranges of color, [according to *Quartz*](). The effect is triggered following stage separation, when the Falcon 9 rocket's two stages come apart to either keep propelling the Crew Dragon spacecraft into space or plummet back down to Earth to be reused later. It also involved a little bit of camera trickery. To end up with a picture like Kuna's requires a bit of a balancing act of an incredibly high ISO (light sensitivity of the camera sensor) and a long shutter speed, as [*Space.com* reported]() last year. The result: a fantastic firework of colors that resembles galactic structures on a much smaller scale. But there is a darker side to the phenomenon: rockets appear to emit [shocking amounts of greenhouse gasses]() during every launch — a steep environmental price to pay for a select few to [spend three days circling the Earth](). **More on the launch:** *[The View From Inspiration4's Toilet Is Absolutely Incredible]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()