‘Space Jellyfish’ sighted in PHL skies likely due to China rocket launch, says PhilSA

The lights sighted over parts of the country on Tuesday night, also known as the “space jellyfish” phenomenon, are likely attributed to the passage of a rocket launched by China, according to the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) on Wednesday.

In a statement, PhilSA said that the lights were observed at around 8:10 pm (Philippine Standard Time) and are highly likely due to the Long March 6A (Chang Zheng 6A) rocket launched by China.

It said the rocket was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at around 7:58 pm (PST).

The space jellyfish phenomenon occurs “when a rocket’s exhaust plume, released at high altitude, is directly illuminated by sunlight while observers on the ground remain in darkness,” PhilSA said.

As the plume expands in the thin upper atmosphere, PhilSA said, it scatters sunlight, creating a luminous, jellyfish-like glow that can be seen over large areas, especially during twilight.

The agency also said that no debris drop zones from the launch are projected over the country’s territories or waters, unlike recent rocket launches from China’s coastal spaceports. — Edg Adrian A. Eva