JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – SnapJAX users sent in several pictures of clouds shining long after the SpaceX Falcon 9 blasted into outer space Friday morning.
Those were called noctilucent clouds, which are considered a rare sight naturally in our skies but are quite common during a rocket launch.
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Water in the Falcon 9′s warm exhaust froze on small particles of dust in the high altitudes. Some of the dust may have come from the Lyrid meteor shower and possibly from volcanic ash in recent eruptions from St. Vincent and Guatemala.
The rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center at 5:49 a.m., a full hour before sunrise in Jacksonville. While it was dark on the ground, it was sunlit thousands of feet above, showcasing the high-altitude luminous clouds.
The rocket’s exhaust, called a contrail, lingered in the early morning sky, puzzling many who were unaware of the launch.