AI Image
SpaceX launch rescheduled to Tuesday; could bring another ‘space jellyfish’ to Carolina skies
WRAL • • general
Key Points:
- SpaceX plans to launch its Bandwagon-5 mission from Cape Canaveral at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, after a weather delay from Monday, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying multiple satellites into orbit.
- The launch could produce a visible "space jellyfish" effect, a glowing rocket exhaust cloud illuminated by sunlight while the ground remains dark, best seen early in the 6:30-7:30 a.m. window before sunrise.
- Unlike last week's launch visible along the Atlantic coast, Tuesday's rocket will travel southeast, offering the best viewing for the Caribbean and central/southern Florida, with only a faint display expected in North Carolina.
- Observers are advised to look toward the southeastern sky from a dark, unobstructed location and watch for a light climbing into the sky followed by an expanding glow resembling a jellyfish, caused by high-altitude rocket exhaust illuminated by the sun.
- Clear skies are forecasted for the launch window, increasing the chances of witnessing the illuminated exhaust plume phenomenon.
