Star jelly, also known as astromyxin or astral jelly, is a jelly-like substance sometimes found on grass and less often on tree branches. According to folklore, it is believed to fall to Earth during meteor showers. It is described as a see-through or grayish-white jelly that dries up quickly after appearing.

Explanations for its origin include it being the remains of frogs, toads, or worms, groups of cyanobacteria, parts of jelly fungi that produce spores, or clusters of amoeba called slime molds. Some nonbiological explanations suggest it could be waste materials from industrial production or waste handling. People have reported seeing star jelly since the 14th century, and sightings continue today.

History

For many years, people have talked about a substance called "star-jelly." In the 1300s, a man named John of Gaddesden wrote about a thing called stella terrae, which means "star of the earth" in Latin. He described it as a sticky, gooey material found on the ground and thought it might help treat infections. A 14th-century Latin medical dictionary mentioned a word called uligo, which was described as a fatty material from the earth, often called "a star that has fallen." An English-Latin dictionary from around 1440 listed the word sterre slyme, with the Latin term assub, which comes from Arabic and was also used in medieval Latin to describe a "falling" or "shooting" star. In Welsh, the substance was called pwdre ser, meaning "rot from the stars."

In 1910, T. M. Hughes wrote in a science magazine called Nature about why poets and ancient writers connected meteors with star-jelly. He noted that the jelly seemed to "grow out from among the roots of grass."

The Oxford English Dictionary includes many other names for the substance, such as star-fallen, star-falling, star-jelly, star-shot, star-slime, star-slough, star-slubber, star-spurt, and star-slutch. These names are linked to the 1440 English-Latin dictionary entry mentioned earlier.

In the state of Veracruz, Mexico, a type of slime mold called Enteridium lycoperdon is known locally as caca de luna, which means "moon's feces."

Scientific analysis and theories

• Myxarium nucleatum is a clear, jelly-like fungus that grows on decaying wood.
• Observations of star jelly in Scotland support the idea that star jelly may come from frog or toad eggs that are vomited up by animals that eat amphibians. The German names Sternenrotz (star snot) and Meteorgallerte (meteorite jelly) describe this material, which is partially digested frog or toad eggs vomited by predators (Schlüpmann 2007).
• Another theory suggests star jelly may come from glands in the reproductive organs of frogs and toads. Birds and mammals often eat these animals but not their reproductive organs. When these organs come into contact with moisture, they swell and become distorted, forming a large jelly-like mass sometimes called otter jelly.
• Scientists from the National Geographic Society tested samples of star jelly found in the United States but did not find any DNA in the material.
• In the 18th century, Thomas Pennant believed the material was something vomited up by birds or animals.
• Nostoc is a type of freshwater blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) that forms round clusters of cells in a gelatinous covering. After rainfall, it swells into a noticeable jelly-like mass sometimes called star-jelly.
• Slime molds could be a source of star jelly. They appear suddenly, start as a very gelatinous substance, and later turn into a dust-like form that is spread by rain and wind. Their colors range from pure white, as in Enteridium lycoperdon, to pink, purple, bright yellow, orange, and brown, as seen in Lycogala epidendrum.

Examples

• In 1652, a jelly-like substance was observed after a bright meteor appeared between Siena and Rome.
• In 1718, a jelly-like substance was discovered where a meteor landed on the island of Leti.
• In 1950, police officers in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, saw an object that looked like a parachute fall to an open field around 10 PM on September 26. The object glowed purple when flashlights were shone on it, felt sticky when touched, and dissolved without leaving any residue. The story was reported as a joke in the national press and inspired the 1958 film The Blob.
• On August 11, 1979, Sybil Christian of Frisco, Texas, found purple goo on her yard after a Perseid meteor shower. Reporters and a museum official later found a battery reprocessing plant nearby that produced a purplish compound. However, the substance at the plant was solid, while the goo on her lawn was gelatinous. Christian had also used a garden hose to try to remove the substance.
• In December 1983, grayish-white, oily gelatin fell in North Reading, Massachusetts. Thomas Grinley found it on his lawn, streets, sidewalks, and gas station pumps.
• In 1994, "gelatinous rain" fell on Oakville, Washington, on several dates.
• On November 3, 1996, a meteor was seen in Kempton, Tasmania. The next day, white translucent slime was found on lawns and sidewalks in the town.
• In 1997, a similar substance fell in the Everett, Washington, area.
• In autumn 2009, star jelly was found on Scottish hills.
• In January 2012, blue jelly-like balls fell on a garden in Dorset. Analysis showed they were sodium polyacrylate granules, a type of superabsorbent polymer. These granules were likely already on the ground in a dry form and expanded after absorbing water from a hail shower.
• In February 2013, several deposits were found at the Ham Wall nature reserve in England. These may have been unfertilized frog eggs, frog innards, or a type of cyanobacteria.
• In a 2015 BBC program, Nature's Weirdest Events, Chris Packham showed a sample of "star jelly" to scientists. DNA analysis confirmed it came from a frog, and traces of magpie DNA were also found, suggesting the frog may have died after being eaten by a magpie.
• In November, star jelly has been repeatedly seen in the Urbasa region of Navarra, Spain, after heavy rain. It appeared in wet grass, shallow ponds, and water-filled depressions. The substance was clear, gelatinous, had no smell or visible tissue, and disappeared within hours.

In fiction

Sir John Suckling wrote a poem in 1641 that included these lines:

Henry More wrote in 1656:

John Dryden wrote in 1679:

William Somervile wrote in The Talisman in 1740:

Sir Walter Scott wrote in his novel The Talisman:

An unknown substance that falls to Earth during a meteor event is the setting for "The Colour Out of Space," a 1927 short story by American horror and science fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft.

Some people have linked star jelly to the movie The Blob, in which a gelatinous slime falls from space. The Blob, released in 1958, was inspired by the Philadelphia reports from 1950, including a story in The Philadelphia Inquirer titled "Flying 'Saucer' Just Dissolves." In this report, four police officers saw UFO debris that glowed purple and then disappeared. Paramount Pictures was sued over The Blob by author Joseph Payne Brennan, who had written a 1953 short story called "Slime" for Weird Tales Magazine about a similar creature.

In a 2019 episode of The Twilight Zone titled "Not All Men," a dangerous star jelly causes men in a town to act violently and unpredictably.