A giant, glowing jellyfish appeared in the morning sky Tuesday, and people across multiple states had a front-row seat.

The spectacular light show came courtesy of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 6:33 a.m. EDT.

The launch was visible across parts of Florida, Georgia and beyond, with reports of sightings extending into North Carolina and Virginia.

Lucky skywatchers got an unexpected bonus: a glowing, jellyfish-shaped plume that looked straight out of science fiction.

(MORE: Spooky nebulas haunt the October night sky)

What caused the space jellyfish?

It takes a perfect combination of sunlight, rocket exhaust and timing.

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The Falcon 9 launched shortly before sunrise, when the ground was still dark but the rocket's exhaust plume had climbed high enough to catch the sun's rays.

That contrast made the plume glow against the darker sky, creating the incredible spectacle.

As the rocket climbed, its exhaust released gases and water vapor into the thin upper atmosphere. With air pressure much lower at those altitudes, the gases rapidly expanded, allowing the plume to spread outward into a broad, rounded shape with wispy trails that looked like jellyfish tentacles.

(MORE: Will weather threaten SpaceX’s Louisiana spaceport?)

The reason for the launch

The rocket will carry a Dragon cargo spacecraft packed with more than 6,300 pounds of supplies and scientific equipment to the International Space Station (ISS).

The mission is set to arrive at the ISS on Thursday, Oct. 15.