Here’s why trails left in sky by SpaceX Falcon 9 launch looked different Wednesday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — SpaceX Falcon 9 launched at 5:25 a.m. Wednesday and it was successful. A couple of viewers called the Action News Jax newsroom asking if the launch was OK, because the exhaust plume left in the rocket’s wake looked different.

The streaking lights across the sky after the launch looked more like lightning from Thor’s hammer than the usual streak of light from the rocket.

First Alert Weather Meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh said what people saw in the sky were noctilucent clouds caused by water vapor and ice crystals way up in the atmosphere leftover from the launch. “It’s that light coming up above the horizon before sunrise so that’s why the higher clouds are illuminated,” Bedenbaugh said.

Several viewers shared photos of the clouds with us.

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Noctilucent clouds cause wild trails in sky after SpaceX launch A viewer shared this video with us before sunrise Wednesday morning after the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch.

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Cameron Bostian sent in this pic of the noctilucent clouds created by this morning's SpaceX launch. pic.twitter.com/RbZrmxgwRL
— Garrett Bedenbaugh (@wxgarrett) December 4, 2024

Falcon 9 delivers 24 @Starlink satellites to orbit from Florida pic.twitter.com/cjtMrKXY5W
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 4, 2024

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