Florida residents awaken to unusual cloud formation after early morning SpaceX launch

SpaceX launch creates cool clouds above Florida

Friday mornings early SpaceX launch caused some interesting looking clouds spotted all over Florida. FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Brooks Garner explains what they are.

Did you wake up to a strange cloud formation on Friday morning? You're not alone.

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket just after 5 a.m. on Friday, causing a rare cloud formation in the Florida sky – noctilucent clouds.

The exhaust in the upper atmosphere at above 60,000 feet was illuminated by solar rays before the sun even rose, according to FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Brooks Garner. The sky on Friday morning still appeared dark, but the clouds were white against the sky, creating a luminescent appearance, hence the name "noctilucent." Nocto in Latin means night, and lucent means shining.

SpaceX launches early morning Starlink mission

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket early Friday, deploying 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. The launch took place at the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, with liftoff at 5:12 a.m. ET.

WATCH AGAIN: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 with Starlink mission Friday morning

According to space.com, these rare, high-altitude clouds form between 47-53 miles above the earth's surface. To form, they need water vapor, dust and low temperatures. That dust can originate from space, like tiny meteors, or can come from the earth from volcanic eruptions or pollutant emissions.

"Rocketry at its finest, producing quite the show for our region," Garner said.