Stunning Luminous Jellyfish Spotted North of American Samoa

A luminous jellyfish was spotted during a scientific expedition north of American Samoa on February 21.

The “cosmic” jellyfish was imaged when National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists carried out their first dive on the Utu seamount. In the caption accompanying this video, researchers said the sea creature showed the “perfectly relaxed arrangement of the two sets of tentacles,” a position that would allow for “optimum feeding in the midwater environment at ~3,000 meters.”

The same species was seen on previous Okeanos Explorer expeditions. Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 American Samoa via Storyful