Glowing Rocket Plume Over North Carolina at Dawn

I captured this incredible sight from my driveway near Buffalo Lakes Road in Sanford, North Carolina, just before sunrise. A brilliant, cone-shaped plume illuminated the purple morning sky above the pine trees. It appears to be a rocket exhaust plume, producing the beautiful phenomenon known as a “space jellyfish.”

It was an unforgettable sight, and I was so excited to capture it!

Photographer: Tiffany McGehee Armstrong

iPhone 16 Pro Max