On the evening of Monday, November 2, a SpaceX Falcon 9 is set to lift off from Vandenberg in California, carrying the USSF-423 mission into the sky. Its exhaust may briefly glow like a luminous jellyfish, a sight that people across the American West have come to recognize and wonder at. The display depends on a quiet alignment: the early dark that followed the clocks turning back, and sunlight still reaching the rising plume high above a sky already dimming below. Whether it is seen will rest, as much of the sky does, on the clouds that drift over each town and mountain.
Monday SpaceX Launch May Light Up the West With Another 'Space Jellyfish'
The sky will be dark, but the exhaust will still catch the sun
On the evening of Monday, November 2, a SpaceX Falcon 9 is set to lift off from Vandenberg in California, carrying the USSF-423 mission into the sky. Its exhaust may briefly glow like a luminous jellyfish, a sight that people across the American West have come to recognize and wonder at. The display depends on a quiet alignment: the early dark that followed the clocks turning back, and sunlight still reaching the rising plume high above a sky already dimming below. Whether it is seen will rest, as much of the sky does, on the clouds that drift over each town and mountain.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday, November 2, on the USSF-423 mission. The window runs four hours and opens at 5:42 p.m. PST, and if the conditions align, the rocket's exhaust could paint another glowing shape across the sky, the kind people have started calling a "space jellyfish."
The timing is what makes it possible. With clocks set back for the end of Daylight Saving Time, sunset arrives early and the launch falls in twilight. The ground will be dark, but the climbing plume will still catch sunlight, and that lit cloud of exhaust can be seen from hundreds of miles away, well beyond California.
Whether anyone sees it depends on the weather. Southern Utah, Arizona and New Mexico look clearest, while Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City may have partial clouds with breaks. Northern California and western Nevada face heavier cover, and Colorado, where storms bring rain and high-elevation snow, will likely miss it entirely.
For anyone in the West, the advice is simple: step outside Monday evening and look up after 5:42 p.m. PST.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 is scheduled to lift off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Monday, Nov. 2, carrying the USSF-423 mission. The launch window runs four hours and opens at 5:42 p.m. PST. If conditions cooperate, it could produce another of the glowing sky displays people have taken to calling a "space jellyfish."
The nickname comes from a launch just a couple of weeks ago, when a SpaceX rocket's exhaust left a luminous, jellyfish-like shape overhead. Monday's launch offers a chance to see it again.
Timing is the reason. Clocks went back with the end of Daylight Saving Time, so sunset comes earlier, and the launch window falls during twilight. The sky at ground level will be dark, but the rocket's exhaust will be climbing high enough to still catch sunlight. That lit plume is what makes the glow, and it can be seen from hundreds of miles away. The launch is in California, but much of the West has a shot at spotting it.
Whether anyone actually sees it comes down to clouds. The best view is expected in southern Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, where weekend storms should have cleared out in time, leaving clear skies.
Some places will be harder. Parts of southern California, including Los Angeles, along with Las Vegas and Salt Lake City, are forecast to have clouds during the launch. The forecast says there should still be enough breaks to spot the display.
The outlook is worse farther north. In parts of northern California, including San Francisco, and in western Nevada, cloud cover could make the jellyfish quite difficult to see. There is no rain in the forecast for those areas.
Colorado looks like the clear loser. Storms moving through on Monday evening will bring rain and high-elevation snow, so viewers there will probably miss the show.
For anyone in the West, the practical step is to check the local sky Monday evening, with the window opening at 5:42 p.m. PST and running four hours.
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Science & Space