Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]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.

                              2020 February 28
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                        South Celestial Rocket Launch
                Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Brendan Gully

   Explanation: At sunset on December 6 a [5]Rocket Lab Electron rocket
   was launched from a rotating planet. With multiple small satellites on
   board it departed on a mission to low Earth orbit dubbed [6]Running Out
   of Fingers from Mahia Peninsula on New Zealand's north island. The
   firey trace of the Electron's graceful launch arc is toward the south
   in this southern sea and skyscape. Drifting vapor trails and rocket
   exhaust plumes catch the sunlight even as the sky grows dark though,
   the setting Sun still shinning at altitude along the rocket's
   trajectory. Fixed to a tripod, the camera's perspective nearly aligns
   the peak of the rocket arc with the South Celestial Pole, [7]but no
   bright star marks that location in the southern hemisphere's evening
   sky. Still, it's easy to find at the center of the star trail arcs
   [8]in the timelapse composite.

                         Tomorrow's picture: DOY 60
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    Authors & editors: [20]Robert Nemiroff ([21]MTU) & [22]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([23]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [24]Specific rights apply.
              [25]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [26]ASD at [27]NASA / [28]GSFC
                           & [29]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2002/Stack10_electron.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.facebook.com/BrendanGullyPhotography/
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Electron_rocket_launches
   6. https://twitter.com/search?q=#RunningOutOfFingers&src=typed_query
   7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191130.html
   8. https://www.facebook.com/BrendanGullyPhotography/photos/a.185842878441001/992120201146594/?type=3&theater
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200227.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  13. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  18. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=200228
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200229.html
  20. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  21. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  22. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  23. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  25. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  26. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  29. http://www.mtu.edu/