Shortly after Tuesday's 6:33 a.m. ET liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, an expanding plume of fuel exhaust crystallized in the upper atmosphere and reflected sunlight off frozen particles, creating a giant, luminescent 'jellyfish cloud' that spread for miles.

The launch carried cargo to the International Space Station, and the timing — 48 minutes before sunrise — made the colorful effect fully visible from the ground. NASA posted photographs of the phenomenon on X.

The 'space jellyfish' effect can occur only during a short span just before sunrise or just after sunset, when the ground is dark but sunlight is already shining across the upper atmosphere.

As the plume of exhaust stretched across much of the sky, sunlight shining through it created large tendrils of light resembling a translucent jellyfish.

The rocket's north-eastern trajectory over the Atlantic also carried the spectacle far up the coast, and clear weather helped viewers across the eastern United States catch the show.

Communities across the eastern United States watched the rocket streak across the morning sky, and Central Pennsylvania was among them.

In the Hanover area, The Keystone Newsroom reports the rocket rose from the southern horizon several minutes after launch, raced across the sky, and faded on the eastern horizon — with first-stage separation briefly visible before the second stage illuminated.

NASA's photos on X drew hundreds of replies with images from sky watchers in multiple states.

The launch, known as SpaceX CRS-35, is the 35th resupply mission SpaceX has conducted for NASA. The 230-foot Falcon 9 carried about 6,500 pounds of supplies and science to the space station.

Research aboard includes experiments related to producing artificial retinas, assessing microgravity's effects on 3D heart tissue growth, studying glass formation from unconventional elements, and investigating links between inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases, according to USA Today reporting cited by The Keystone Newsroom.

Sky watchers who missed Tuesday's show have another opportunity Monday, October 19, when another Falcon 9 is scheduled to lift off from the same Cape Canaveral pad.

The Desert Sun separately reports SpaceX is targeting a Thursday afternoon classified U.S. Space Force mission, USSF-481, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California — a launch that would be the state's 70th of 2026, one liftoff shy of its 2025 record of 71.

Not every launch story is going to plan. Rocket Lab shares fell 7.3% in extended trading Wednesday after the company pushed the inaugural flight of its Neutron rocket into 2027, citing manufacturing problems involving a carbon-composite component of the vehicle's first-stage propellant tank.

Seeking Alpha notes the delay could postpone Neutron revenue and extend development costs, hindering Rocket Lab's bid to compete with SpaceX in the larger medium-lift market — even as SpaceX's own launch cadence keeps setting the pace.