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Credit & Copyright: Rick Baldridge
Explanation:
In this alluring time exposure,
star trails arc across
the night sky above Monterey Bay and the lights of Santa Cruz,
California, USA.
But since the exposure began around 3:01am PDT on July 15
it also records the long trail of a
Delta II rocket lofting
NASA's Aura
spacecraft into Earth orbit.
Watching from a vantage point about 200 miles north of the
Vandenberg Air Force Base
launch site, photographer Rick Baldridge reports that the
trail represents the first five minutes of the
rocket's powered
flight with the ignition of additional solid fuel strap-on motors
visible after liftoff, near the beginning of the track.
The rocket trail ends at first stage shutdown.
Seen under the rocket's path,
the two brightest star trails mark the alpha and beta stars
of the high-flying
constellation Grus.
The Aura spacecraft's
goal is a comprehensive study of
planet Earth's nurturing atmosphere.
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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
Publications with keywords: spacecraft - NASA - rocket
Publications with words: spacecraft - NASA - rocket
See also:
- APOD: 2026 August 5 Á Spokes on Saturn's B Ring
- APOD: 2026 July 29 Á Psyche Receives Gravity Assist from Mars
- APOD: 2026 March 28 Á Robert Goddard and Nell
- APOD: 2026 March 19 Á Launch Plume: SpaceX Jellyfish
- NanoSail D2
- Apollo 17 s Moonship
- APOD: 2025 February 17 Á SpaceX Rocket Launch Plume over California