What does liftoff from Cape Canaveral or Vandenberg look like? Which states launch SpaceX rockets?

• SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, is known for its Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and Starship rockets.
• Sometimes after liftoff a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket displays a “jellyfish” effect in the sky.
• The jellyfish effect typically happens during late-night or early morning SpaceX rocket launches — from Florida and California.

What does a SpaceX rocket launch look like? Can you see a SpaceX rocket in other states after liftoff?

The short answers are “beautiful” and “sometimes.” The why behind those answers are both subjective (biased even, since this writer lives on the Space Coast of Florida) and mostly unpredictable.

What does that mean?

Visibility for rockets launched from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, Florida, depends on weather and cloud cover. Though there are typically no bad viewing spots to watch a rocket launch from anywhere in Brevard County, Florida, there have been many times the naked eye could not see liftoff because of clouds or rain. It can be the proverbial “needle in a haystack” scenario.

Night launches, in particular, offer a beautiful view. When there’s a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there’s an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo. Some of the videos below show the "jellyfish" effect. That happens at dawn or dusk when the sunlight hits it just right after stage separation.

The visibility typically extends outside of the Space Coast/Brevard County area into east Orlando by the University of Central Florida or Orlando theme parks, to the north by New Smyrna Beach, Port Orange and other parts of Volusia County, to the south by Jensen Beach, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce.

Sometimes, people from Daytona Beach to Titusville to Melbourne Beach and Vero Beach see a nice streak in the sky — given the proximity to NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Sometimes they don’t.

Remarkably, some rocket launches from hundreds of miles away can be seen from other states.

And if you haven’t seen a rocket launch from Florida or California, put it on your list of things to do, places to go.

Below are SpaceX rocket launch videos taken by readers, reporters or news crews that show what a rocket looks like when it lifts off from:

• Cape Canaveral Space Force Station or NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida
• Vandenberg Space Force Station in California

For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at [email protected] or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at [email protected]. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from NASA, Kennedy Space Center in Florida

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral spotted in West Palm Beach, Florida

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, seen in Fayetteville, North Carolina

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, spotted in Texas

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg seen in Thousand Oaks and Yorba Linda, California

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch seen from Coachella Valley in California

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch seen in Palm Springs, California

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch seen in San Diego, Chino Hills and Long Beach, California, and Mexicali, Mexico

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from California seen in Phoenix, Arizona

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from California seen in Reno, Nevada

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch seen in Jersey Shore, Tinton Falls, New Jersey

Contributing: Brooke Edwards, FLORIDA TODAY

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.