--- title: What's That Glowing Jellyfish in the Sky? It's Not Aliens! | WeatherBug | WeatherBug description: If you've ever spotted a giant, glowing jellyfish floating across the sky, don't worry. It's not an alien invasion! What you're seeing is a spectacular phenomenon often called a "jellyfish cloud," and it all comes down to a rocket launch and some pretty perfect timing. canonical: https://www.weatherbug.com/news/What%20is%20That%20Glowing%20Jellyfish%20in%20the%20Sky og:title: What's That Glowing Jellyfish in the Sky? It's Not Aliens! | WeatherBug | WeatherBug og:description: If you've ever spotted a giant, glowing jellyfish floating across the sky, don't worry. It's not an alien invasion! What you're seeing is a spectacular phenomenon often called a "jellyfish cloud," and it all comes down to a rocket launch and some pretty perfect timing. og:url: https://www.weatherbug.com/news/What%20is%20That%20Glowing%20Jellyfish%20in%20the%20Sky og:site_name: WeatherBug og:locale: en_US og:image: https://cms-assets-con.cdn.weatherbug.net/assets/contentitems/d4/d477e02f-a9c4-4054-bb2f-b5882a3f4183/52e0ce98-d40a-4283-82d1-d0fe816ebf4b/cdb4bd5d-b010-495f-b63e-4e8e72c1d45c.jpg og:image:width: 800 og:image:height: 600 og:image:alt: What's That Glowing Jellyfish in the Sky? It's Not Aliens! og:type: article article:published_time: 2026-10-20T19:23:56Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-20T19:23:56Z article:author: By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Brittney Gomez article:tag: jellyfish article:tag: cloud article:tag: spacex article:tag: rocket article:tag: launch article:tag: clouds article:tag: sky twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What's That Glowing Jellyfish in the Sky? It's Not Aliens! | WeatherBug twitter:description: If you've ever spotted a giant, glowing jellyfish floating across the sky, don't worry. It's not an alien invasion! What you're seeing is a spectacular phenomenon often called a "jellyfish cloud," and it all comes down to a rocket launch and some pretty perfect timing. twitter:image: https://cms-assets-con.cdn.weatherbug.net/assets/contentitems/d4/d477e02f-a9c4-4054-bb2f-b5882a3f4183/52e0ce98-d40a-4283-82d1-d0fe816ebf4b/cdb4bd5d-b010-495f-b63e-4e8e72c1d45c.jpg --- [](/) [Back to forecast](/) # What's That Glowing Jellyfish in the Sky? It's Not Aliens! > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with WeatherBug. WeatherBug is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: October 2026. ## The Drop by WeatherBug: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Drop is WeatherBug's free email newsletter. 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It's not an alien invasion! What you're seeing is a spectacular phenomenon often called a "jellyfish cloud," and it all comes down to a rocket launch and some pretty perfect timing. ## How Does a Jellyfish Cloud Form? These glowing displays can happen when rockets launch around sunrise or sunset, during a period known as twilight. Here's where things get interesting. Even though the Sun may be below the horizon for people on the ground, a rocket traveling high into the atmosphere can still be illuminated by sunlight. As the rocket climbs, its exhaust plume expands in the thin upper atmosphere. Sunlight scatters off particles and tiny ice crystals in the plume, creating a bright, glowing cloud that can resemble a jellyfish spreading across the sky. ## Why Does Timing Matter? Twilight is the secret ingredient! The contrast between the darker sky below and the sunlit rocket exhaust above makes the glowing plume especially noticeable. Not every rocket launch creates a visible jellyfish cloud. The launch timing, atmospheric conditions, rocket trajectory, and viewing location all play a role. So the next time you see something glowing and spreading across the sky, don't immediately assume it's something out of this world. It might just be a rocket putting on an incredible light show! We use technologies, such as cookies, to analyze your use (i.e., pages visited), to customize content, for our internal analytics purposes and for security and other purposes. By continuing to use this website, you agree to this usage. Please review our [privacy policy](/legal/privacy) for more details as well as for information on how to contact us to object to these activities. 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Sunlight scatters off particles and tiny ice crystals in the plume, creating a bright, glowing cloud that can resemble a jellyfish spreading across the sky. Why Does Timing Matter? Twilight is the secret ingredient! The contrast between the darker sky below and the sunlit rocket exhaust above makes the glowing plume especially noticeable. Not every rocket launch creates a visible jellyfish cloud. The launch timing, atmospheric conditions, rocket trajectory, and viewing location all play a role. So the next time you see something glowing and spreading across the sky, don't immediately assume it's something out of this world. 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