Since the 14th century, scientists and writers have made note of a curious substance: white gelatinous lumps that were believed to have been deposited by meteor showers, earning the name “star jelly.”
Even more mysterious is how, shortly after being seen, the jelly seems to evaporate.
While star jelly might sound like something extra-terrestrial, its origin is much more down-to-earth, although there are various suggestions on what that origin is.
In some cases, the jelly-like substance, which has been found in marshes, fields, rocks, and even neighborhoods and Arctic regions, is believed to be frogspawn that’s been regurgitated by other animals, such as birds. Other theories posit the blobs are a type of slime mold or cyanobacteria called Nostoc commune, which are single-celled organisms that form colonies of cells that appear covered in a goo, as reported by The Times of London after star jelly was found in 2024.
Tests on samples have also failed to determine one source, suggesting star jelly represents multiple natural phenomena rather than just one.