Photographer and National Weather Service meteorologist Wright Dobbs caught these photos of the SpaceX “jellyfish” over downtown Tallahassee on July 9, 2026. The photos show the rocket flying over the Capitol Building and the noctilucent clouds left over about 10 minutes after launch as the sun illuminated more of the exhaust.
Provided by Wright Dobbs
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
SpaceX’s mighty Falcon Heavy rocket is due to roar into the skies once again, putting on a show for Florida spectators as it soars overhead.
If all goes according to plan, the bigger, badder and far, far more powerful Falcon Heavy spacecraft, similar to SpaceX’s well-known Falcon 9 rocket, will help transport a secretive government payload to Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday, Oct. 1.
Will it be visible in Tallahassee and other parts of North Florida? It’s happened before (see photos below).
Watch NASA+ content with Amazon Prime Video
Some readers in Leon County reported seeing the “space jellyfish effect” in the sky after a 5:21 a.m. July 9, 2026, SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast. Visibility depends on weather and cloud cover, and the bubble shapes or “space jellyfish” depend on timing and how the sun hits the rocket’s exhaust (or contrail) after liftoff. It typically happens during a sunrise or sunset rocket launch, and in that case, it was seen in Tallahassee, St. Augustine and Naples, Florida.
Another SpaceX rocket launch was visible in North Florida in March 2026.
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover and trajectory, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast could be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and as far south as West Palm Beach.
When there’s a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there’s an opportunity for unique photos – the rocket lights up the dark sky, and the contrail afterward makes for a great photo.
Below is more information on the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch from Florida, suggestions on where to watch it and how to watch some launches with NASA+ on Prime Video.
For questions or comments, email USA TODAY Network Space Reporters Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com, Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com or Eric Lagatta at elagatta@usatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Where can I watch a rocket launch in Florida?
A rocket launch with a northeast trajectory can be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach, Florida, which is about 160 miles north of Cape Canaveral (about a two-hour and 30-minute car ride, depending on which route you take).
Rocket launches with a southeast trajectory can be seen as far south as West Palm Beach, Florida, which is about 150 miles south of Cape Canaveral (about a two-hour-and-20-minute car ride).
Rocket launches are most visible from the Space Coast, where they launch from, and are often visible from the Treasure Coast and Volusia County as well.
Thursday, Oct. 1, SpaceX NROL-97 with Falcon Heavy rocket
Mission: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch a secretive national-security payload designed, built and operated by the National Reconnaissance Office.Launch: 11:53 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026Launch trajectory: TBALaunch location: Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, FloridaSonic booms for Florida’s Space Coast: YesLive FLORIDA TODAY Space Team coverage: Starts two hours before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
Watch some rocket launches with NASA+ on Prime Video
NASA content, including some rocket launches, is available to watch through NASA+ on desktop, both from its official site and YouTube. The platform is also available to download as a mobile app on smartphones.
All NASA+ content is also available to those who have Prime Video downloaded on any of their devices – whether it be a smartphone or smart TV.
Watch NASA+ content with Amazon Prime Video
The content, which does not require a Prime subscription to view, is one of Prime Video’s FAST channels (free ad-supported television). Viewers can find it under Prime’s Live TV section at the top of the screen when they open the app.
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang.are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: SpaceX rocket launch at Kennedy Space Center: Will it be seen in Tallahassee?
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Reporting by Jennifer Sangalang, Eric Lagatta, Lianna Norman, Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
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This story was originally published September 30, 2026 at 3:34 PM.