The night sky across the southern United States lit up in breathtaking fashion as SpaceX’s Starship launched from its Boca Chica, Texas, site, transforming the darkness into a canvas of glowing silver and fiery orange. Millions of onlookers from Texas to Florida captured photos and videos of the surreal display, with many mistaking the dazzling “space jellyfish” shape for a comet, UFO, or meteor shower. The phenomenon occurs when rocket exhaust particles high in the stratosphere catch sunlight just before dawn or after sunset, scattering it into radiant plumes that shimmer across the atmosphere. As Starship ascended on its 11th test mission, the spectacle symbolized both scientific progress and a moment of shared wonder — a reminder of humanity’s ever-growing reach beyond Earth. For SpaceX, the flight marked another milestone in developing the world’s most powerful reusable rocket, capable of carrying humans and cargo to the Moon and Mars. But for everyone watching from below, it was simply magical — a rare cosmic show where technology met beauty and the sky itself became a stage.