What appeared as a floating “space jellyfish” drifting across the Philippine sky on Tuesday evening, May 12, was most likely a rocket plume illuminated at high altitude, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) said.
Around 8:10 p.m., bright lights and a wide, luminous shape were observed over several areas in the country.
PhilSA said the sighting is highly likely due to China’s Long March 6A (Chang Zheng 6A) rocket, which was launched at about 7:58 p.m. from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
According to the agency, the display is consistent with what is known as a “space jellyfish” effect, which occurs when a rocket’s upper stage releases exhaust at very high altitudes.
“[It] occurs when a rocket’s exhaust plume, released at high altitudes, is directly illuminated by sunlight while observers on the ground remain in darkness,” PhilSA 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.
A similar phenomenon was observed across parts of the country last month. (Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz)
