A pre-dawn SpaceX Falcon 9 launch left a luminescent 'jellyfish cloud' spreading for miles over Florida on Tuesday, a spectacle visible to sky watchers along much of the US east coast.

A pre-dawn liftoff at Cape Canaveral

The Falcon 9 lifted off shortly after 6.33am ET on Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, 48 minutes before sunrise, carrying cargo to the International Space Station.

How the jellyfish cloud forms

The glow comes from an expanding plume of fuel exhaust crystallizing in the sky, with sunlight reflecting off the frozen particles. Because the effect depends on the angle of the sun, it is fully visible from the ground only at dusk and dawn launches.

Who saw it and who shared it

The rocket flew a north-eastern trajectory over the Atlantic, allowing residents of eastern states from Georgia to New York to enjoy the spectacle. Nasa posted photographs of the jellyfish cloud on X, and sky watchers across multiple states shared their own images in the replies.

Next launch from the same pad

Another SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from the same pad is scheduled for Monday, 19 October, with an hour-long window opening at 6.30am ET, about half an hour before the 7.01am sunrise.