Sunday, February 11, 2024

APOD - Rocket Plume Shadow Points to the Moon

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.

2024 February 11
The long plume of a launching rocket is seen on  the left side of the image. The upper part of the plume  is bright, while the lower part is smokey brown. The bright  part of the plume is illuminated by the Sun and casts  a long and dark shadow corridor across the image. The  shadow appears to end on a Full Moon.   Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

Rocket Plume Shadow Points to the Moon
Image Credit: Pat McCracken, NASA

Explanation: Why would the shadow of a rocket's launch plume point toward the Moon? In early 2001 during a launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, the Sun, Earth, Moon, and rocket were all properly aligned for this photogenic coincidence. First, for the space shuttle's plume to cast a long shadow, the time of day must be either near sunrise or sunset. Only then will the shadow be its longest and extend all the way to the horizon. Finally, during a Full Moon, the Sun and Moon are on opposite sides of the sky. Just after sunset, for example, the Sun is slightly below the horizon, and, in the other direction, the Moon is slightly above the horizon. Therefore, as Atlantis blasted off, just after sunset, its shadow projected away from the Sun toward the opposite horizon, where the Full Moon happened to be.

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