Space coast residents got a treat early Friday when the latest Starlink satellite fleet launch created an eerie glowing cloud in the predawn sky.
The Starlink Internet satellites were successfully lifted off at 5:42 a.m. The Kennedy Space Center is in Florida.
The photos from the launch were taken by a professional. This was the 12th launch for this particular Falcon 9 rocket, tying a company reuse record, and the first stage once again landed on top of one of the drones.
The Starlink megaconstellation launches in photos.
The glowing rocket made its way high into the atmosphere as it was seen by people on the coast. This type of effect is called a "space jellyfish", which is produced by a combination of the Falcon 9's exhaust and the timing of the launch, as our sister website LiveScience pointed out.
SPACE JELLYFISHFrom today’s SpaceX launch. Beautiful pic.twitter.com/98mzIGHDOmMay 6, 2022
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The gas was at a higher pressure than the surrounding air because the exhaust was under-expanded. Chris Combs, a professor of aerodynamics and mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio, explained on his account that the bright glow was caused by the rising sun shining close to the horizon.
The pretty physical phenomenon showed up in videos, pictures and even in a pool as local social media users captured their views of the sky.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Space Coast at first light Friday with 53 Starlink internet satellites, capping an all-nighter of operations five hours after returning four astronauts to a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.📷: @mdcainjr https://t.co/DbXKnvEoDf pic.twitter.com/ozaqKEjNnhMay 7, 2022
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B1058 completing its 12th launch putting on a show over the Atlantic Ocean just before sunrise! Another batch of Starlink satellites are now in orbit as #SpaceX continues their rapid launch cadence! #Falcon9 📸 for @Teslarati pic.twitter.com/CxKROMmKz7May 6, 2022
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Beautiful pre-dawn launch from Cape Canaveral of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and 53 Starlink satellites this morning pic.twitter.com/8cFjS210ZKMay 6, 2022
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Very beautiful view from Jacksonville Florida. #SpaceX #Falcon9 pic.twitter.com/lmpAxmaW3aMay 6, 2022
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As the sun comes up over #backyardswamp, the remnants of SpaceX launch are reflected in the pool. pic.twitter.com/EbzAUTZcpXMay 6, 2022
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Watched an awe inspiring rocket launch this morning. Found out this phenomenon is called a “space jellyfish.” Pretty incredible stuff. #SpaceX pic.twitter.com/sZKW27cOpNMay 7, 2022
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Great launch! pic.twitter.com/w39khFSdJpMay 6, 2022
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Nothing like a early morning launch!! 🤯🚀 #SpaceX #Starlink pic.twitter.com/VbNYDPcmilMay 6, 2022
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Hey SpaceX do more of these pre dawn launches please and thank you pic.twitter.com/R26rqYCQGIMay 6, 2022
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🚀 Wow, this was an interesting view from the predawn launch of the #SpaceX Falcon 9 today, you can clearly see the first stage entry burn and the second stage continuing to orbit. @elonmusk 📷:me for @SuperclusterHQ pic.twitter.com/tLp9Qj7EiZMay 6, 2022
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Such a cool thing to watch from my front yard 🤍 #nativefloridian #SpaceX pic.twitter.com/AeSKTd1d7eMay 6, 2022
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This morning when Dad and I were outside just before sunrise, we got to see the Spacex booster re-entry. Pretty cool! Hope something pawsome happens in your life today! Happy Fri-YAY😘🐾🐾🥳🥳 pic.twitter.com/Khfu6BAu98May 6, 2022
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Let us know if you captured a stunning view of the Starlink satellite launch on Friday and want to use it in an image gallery or story. You can send comments and images to spacephotos@space.com.
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