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Credit & Copyright: John Winkopp
(WAI Media)
Explanation:
What's happening to this Sun-crossing rocket?
The SpaceX
Falcon 9 rocket, visible on the upper left,
launched only about one minute before this amazing image was captured.
As it rose to low Earth orbit from
Cape Canaveral,
Florida,
USA,
in late May, the rocket became
supersonic before it
crossed the disk of the distant Sun --
from the perspective of the well-placed photographer.
The spacecraft's high speed caused
bow-shaped compressed-air
shockwaves to form across leading surfaces,
with at least three visible even outside
the Sun's disk because they
refract sunlight.
The
trailing exhaust caused
turbulence visible on the lower right.
None of this was damaging to the robotic
Starlink 10-53 mission,
which delivered 29 communications satellites to
low
Earth orbit as planned.
And if that isn't
amazing
enough - the Sun had
spots!
Sky Surprise:
What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after 1995)
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day