'Space jellyfish' seen in parts of Philippines from China rocket exhaust trail
MANILA, Philippines — That odd-looking and glowing tendril of light that was seen floating across Philippine skies Tuesday night, May 13, was not a comet or a so-called UFO. It was the exhaust trail of a Chinese rocket, the Philippine Space Agency said Wednesday, May 13.
The lights spotted around 8:10 p.m. on May 12 were "highly likely" caused by the Long March 6A rocket, which took off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China at roughly 7:58 p.m. Manila time, PhilSA said in an advisory shared Wednesday morning.
The agency identified the spectacle as a "space jellyfish."
It takes place "when a rocket's exhaust plume, released at high altitudes, is directly illuminated by sunlight while observers on the ground remain in darkness," the agency explained.
"The expanding plume fans out in the thin upper atmosphere and scatters sunlight, creating a luminous, jellyfish-like glow visible over wide areas during twilight conditions," it added.
Photos and videos of the sighting circulated widely online showing the jellyfish-like bloom suspended over the horizon.
Unlike several recent Chinese launches from coastal pads, this one posed no falling-debris risk to the country.
PhilSA said no debris drop zones from the May 12 launch were projected over Philippine territory or waters.
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