Skywatchers across the American West have a chance to spot a glowing space jellyfish
on Monday evening, November 2, 2026, as SpaceX plans a Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base during twilight hours.
USSF-423 Launch Timing and Twilight Viewing Conditions
SpaceX is preparing to launch the USSF-423 mission using a Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The operation features a four-hour launch window opening at 5:42 p.m. PST on Monday, Nov. 2. Because the region recently transitioned past Daylight Savings time, the earlier sunset aligns the launch window directly with evening twilight.
That specific timing creates the visual phenomenon known widely as a space jellyfish,
which follows a similar display created by a SpaceX launch just a couple weeks ago. While ground observers remain in darkness, the rocket climbs high enough into the atmosphere for its exhaust plumes to catch direct sunlight, producing a luminous cloud that remains visible from hundreds of miles away across the West.
Weather Forecasts Across Western Viewing Regions
Visibility will depend heavily on local cloud cover and the path of recent weekend storms.
Northern California—including San Francisco—and western Nevada face a tougher viewing outlook due to cloudy skies that could make spotting the phenomenon quite difficult, though fortunately there is no rain in the forecast for those spots. Conditions grow worse further inland, where storms will be moving through Colorado on Monday evening, bringing rain and high elevation snow to the region and causing observers there to probably miss out on catching a glimpse of the launch.
Worth a look