A Falcon 9 rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station lifted off from Florida before sunrise Tuesday, creating a brilliant exhaust plume visible along portions of the East Coast, including New Jersey.
EDISON, NJ — Early risers across New Jersey were treated to an unusual sight Tuesday morning, October 13, as a SpaceX rocket launched from Florida and produced a glowing trail against the predawn sky.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:33 a.m., carrying an uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft loaded with supplies and scientific equipment for the International Space Station.
The launch occurred shortly before sunrise, creating favorable conditions for the rocket’s exhaust plume to be illuminated by sunlight high above Earth while the ground remained relatively dark.
The resulting display can resemble a glowing jellyfish or comet moving across the sky.
Rocket launches more than 6,300 pounds of supplies into orbit
The mission, known as CRS-35, is SpaceX’s 35th commercial resupply flight to the International Space Station under its NASA contract.
The Dragon spacecraft is carrying more than 6,300 pounds of supplies, scientific experiments and equipment.
The spacecraft is scheduled to reach the station Thursday, October 15, where it will dock with the orbiting laboratory’s Harmony module.
The rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral at approximately 6:33:44 a.m. Eastern time.
Why the rocket was visible from New Jersey
Although the launch originated hundreds of miles south of the Garden State, the rocket’s altitude and trajectory made it potentially visible across a large portion of the eastern United States.
During twilight launches, sunlight can illuminate the exhaust gases expanding behind a rocket at high altitude.
From the ground, those gases can appear as a bright, spreading cloud against the darker sky.
The phenomenon is often called a space jellyfish because of its distinctive shape.
The display was also reported across northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia, where the glowing plume attracted attention Tuesday morning.
Visibility in New Jersey depended on cloud cover, viewing direction and local conditions.
International Space Station also crossed morning sky
The timing created another unusual opportunity for skywatchers.
The International Space Station was scheduled to pass across parts of the Northeast around the same time, between approximately 6:33 and 6:44 a.m.
Unlike the rocket’s expanding exhaust plume, the station appears as a bright, steadily moving point of light.
Residents with clear views of the southern sky had the potential to witness two separate space-related events within minutes of each other.
The Dragon spacecraft launched Tuesday is expected to catch up with the station over the next two days, delivering equipment and supplies needed to support ongoing research.