Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2022 May 31
Rocket Transits Rippling Sun Image Credit & Copyright : Michael Cain Explanation: The launch of a rocket at sunrise can result in unusual but intriguing images that feature both the rocket and the Sun. Such was the case last month when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center carrying 53 more Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit . In the featured launch picture , the rocket’s exhaust plume glows beyond its projection onto the distant Sun , the rocket itself appears oddly jagged , and the Sun’s lower edge shows peculiar drip-like ripples . The physical cause of all of these effects is pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air deflecting sunlight less strongly than pockets relatively cool or compressed air: refraction . Unaware of the Earthly show, active sunspot region 3014 — on the upper left — slowly crosses the Sun .
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU ) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP )NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply .NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.
