SpaceX rocket launch creates a glowing plume across the evening sky in Opelika, USA

On October 20, 2026, in Opelika, Alabama, USA, @OnlyOneRomey shared a video showing the glowing trail of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ascending into the twilight sky. In the video, a bright golden-white plume stretches diagonally across the darkening sky, forming a luminous, bulb-shaped cloud at its upper end. The trail appears segmented, with a visible gap between its lower and upper sections. In the foreground, silhouetted buildings, trees, and a security fence stand against the orange glow along the horizon. According to reports, the rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida as part of SpaceX’s Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission. The striking display, often called the “space jellyfish” effect, occurs when sunlight illuminates the expanding exhaust gases high in the atmosphere while the ground below remains in darkness. The phenomenon was visible across parts of the southeastern United States, including Alabama.