There\u2019s yet another reason for Californians to keep an eye on the night sky this week. <\/p>\n
In addition to the annual Perseid meteor shower<\/a>, a manmade space phenomenon is set to light up our nights. <\/p>\n Experts say there\u2019s a strong likelihood of spotting a \u201cspace jellyfish,\u201d a surreal vision that occurs when sunlight reflects off of the exhaust plumes of a recently launched rocket during evening twilight or early morning. <\/p>\n Tonight, a SpaceX Starlink launch could create a stunning \u2018space jellyfish\u2019 in the night sky, experts predict. X\/@spacejellyalert<\/p>\n As the rocket makes its ascent into the upper atmosphere, the exhaust is illuminated while decreasing temperatures turn water vapor into ice crystals that trail behind the rocket. <\/p>\n The effect creates the appearance of an otherworldly, jellyfish-like shape for those watching from the relative darkness of Earth.<\/p>\n The nature of these plumes varies from colorful to white, depending on the timing of the launch. Morning typically produces white jellies, while twilight launches can create a more rainbow or iridescent quality. <\/p>\n These sky shapes typically appear after a\u00a0SpaceX\u00a0rocket launch, specifically, a Falcon 9 rocket launched at either of the two SpaceX facilities in Florida or the SoCal base. <\/p>\n Space Jellyfish Alerts<\/a>, a website that estimates the likelihood that a rocket launch will produce a jellie, has shared that tonight\u2019s Starlink launch could indeed give rise to the phenomenon. <\/p>\n Starlink 17-49 will launch tonight at 8:00 PM PDT and enter sunlight approximately 40 seconds after takeoff. <\/p>\n The nature of these jellies varies from colorful to white, depending on the timing of the launch. Morning typically produces white jellies, while twilight launches can create a more rainbow or iridescent quality. Space.com<\/p>\n Detailed predictions based on location can be found here. <\/a><\/p>\n Space Jellyfish Alerts notes that local sky brightness could interfere with visibility. <\/p>\n Owned by Elon Musk<\/a>, SpaceX, which has made its polarizing founder the world\u2019s first trillionaire<\/a>, harbors grand ambitions like building data centers in space and colonizing Mars\u00a0<\/p>\n The jellyfish bloom comes in the wake of a newsworthy week for SpaceX. <\/p>\n On Tuesday, SpaceX showed its first report card since its blockbuster market debut in June<\/a> \u2013 notching a 92% surge in revenue despite losing $541 million in the second quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\n On Wednesday, it was reported that a piece of a SpaceX rocket smashed into the moon<\/a> at high speed. <\/p>\n A space jellyfish is seen over Central Florida after SpaceX\u2019s launch of another batch of Starlink satellites. (Tribune News Service) TNS<\/p>\n Also on Wednesday, SpaceX shares tanked nearly 14%<\/a> after it revealed a massive jump in spending on AI investments. <\/p>\n On Thursday, Musk announced plans to build Terafab \u201cthe largest and most valuable building on Earth by far.<\/a>\u201d <\/p>\n A jointly built Tesla and SpaceX semiconductor megafactory, Terafab will rise in Grimes County, Texas, just outside Houston, with a first phase price tag of $16.8 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be stunningly beautiful,\u201d Musk wrote on X. \u201cSci-fi city is what we\u2019re aiming for,\u201d he said in\u00a0another X post.<\/a><\/p>\n Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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