PhilSA: Unusual light in PH skies likely due to Chinese rocket’s passage

The unusual light in the night sky that was seen in various parts of the country on Saturday evening was due to the passage of a Chinese rocket, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) said on Sunday. 

PhilSA was referring to the Jielong-3 rocket that was launched at 7:32 p.m., minutes before the peculiar lights were seen in the sky.

“The lights sighted over parts of the Philippines on the evening of 11 April 2026, at around 7:40PM PST, are highly likely due to the passage of the Jielong-3 rocket launched by the People’s Republic of China from the South China Sea at approximately 7:32 PM PhST,” the agency said in a statement.

PhilSA said the phenomenon is referred to as a “space jellyfish.” 

“It occurs when a rocket’s exhaust plume, released at high altitudes, is directly illuminated by sunlight while observers on the ground remain in darkness,” the agency said.

“The expanding plume fans out in the thin upper atmosphere and scatters sunlight, creating a luminous, jellyfish-like glow visible over wide areas during twilight conditions,” the PSA added. — JMA, GMA News