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Credit & Copyright: Rick Baldridge
Explanation:
In this alluring time exposure,
star trails arc across
the night sky above foggy Monterey Bay and the lights of Santa Cruz,
California in the
United
States of America.
Since the exposure began around 2:56am PDT on July 2
it also records the trail of a
Delta II rocket lofting
NASA's OCO-2
spacecraft into orbit.
Seen from a vantage point 200 miles north of the
Vandenberg Air Force Base
launch site, the
trail represents the first five minutes of the
rocket's
flight along a
trajectory south and west over the Pacific to join the
A-Train in polar orbit around planet Earth.
The
entire trail through main engine cut-off
is captured, with a very faint puff at the end
marking the nose fairing separation.
Under the rocket's path,
the two brightest trails are the alpha and beta stars
of the constellation Grus,
flying high in southern skies.
The OCO-2 mission goal is a study of atmospheric carbon dioxide,
watching from space as
planet
Earth breathes.
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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: launch - star trail
Publications with words: launch - star trail
See also: