Star Jelly Mystery: What Are These Blobs of Goo That Fall From the Sky?

For hundreds of years, people worldwide have reported strange blobs of goo, which appear in their gardens overnight before quickly dissipating. Due to their mysterious nature, these substances, known as star jelly, were presumed to have fallen from the skies, although no concrete explanation has been given regarding their origin.

What is a Star Jelly?

A star jelly is a gelatinous substance usually found on grass and branches of trees. It is commonly described as watery jello and usually appears clear in color, although there are also variations of purple and green. Some call them astral jelly, astromyxin, caca de moon (moon excrement), or star lime.

Most sightings of star jelly have occurred in Europe, but it has been reported worldwide. The first recorded sighting of star jelly happened in the 14th century and was documented by John Gaddesdec. He suggested these substances could be used to treat abscesses and minor wounds.

In 1846, a four-foot (121 centimeters) ball of glowing goo fell from the sky in Lowville, New York. The impact site was covered in smelly, bright jelly, which quickly evaporated. Almost a century later, in 1950, four police officers from Pennsylvania discovered a dome-shaped disk of quivering jelly. The mysterious blob measures 6 feet (1.8 meters) in diameter and one foot (30 centimeters) thick in the center. The substance evaporated when the officers tried to pick it up, leaving behind a sticky residue.

1983, a grayish-white gelatinous substance fell from the North Reading, Massachusetts, sky. It was found in various locations such as streets, people's lawns, sidewalks, and even dripping from gas station pumps. Another famous discovery occurred in 2009, where the blobs were discovered all over some hills in Scotland.

The most recent star jelly sighting happened in June 2019 in Goochland County in Virginia, where a couple discovered five small piles of odd crushed ice-like substance, but gelatinous.

What Did Star Jelly Come From?

One theory links star jelly to a clear, gelatinous fungus called Myxarium nucleatum, which appears overnight and tends to grow on decaying wood. This could explain some cases of star jelly, but it does not explain the cases where it is seen falling from the sky or appearing on metal structures.

Star jelly is also associated with nostoc, a type of freshwater algae that forms colonies that swell up into a jelly-like mass when wet but appear as tiny crystals when dry. It is assumed that some of these particles were blown onto someone's lawn and went unnoticed until rain caused it to swell.

Meanwhile, the star jelly found on the hills in Scotland seems to spawn jelly from frogs or other amphibians. This is also used to explain star jelly discoveries during autumn. During this season, the adult female frog carries eggs ready to lay through the oviduct the following spring. Each egg gets surrounded by jelly secreted by the oviduct wall. Although the jelly is relatively small in volume, it expands enormously when in contact with water.

When a predator catches an adult female frog, its ovaries can get torn apart. As the jelly is released, it will absorb water from the soil and rain and become large blobs of goo that most people see.