      APOD: 2017 December 24 - SpaceX Rocket Launch Plume over California

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                               2017 December 24
                                      [2]
                  SpaceX Rocket Launch Plume over California
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Bobchin [3]

Explanation: What's happened to the sky? On Friday, the photogenic launch
plume from a SpaceX [4] rocket launch [5]  created quite a spectacle [6]  over
parts of southern California [7]  and Arizona [8] . Looking at times like a
giant space fish [9] , the impressive rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Force
Base [10]  near Lompoc [11] , California, was so bright because it was backlit
[12]  by the setting Sun. Lifting off [13]  during a minuscule one-second
launch window, the Falcon 9 [14] rocket successfully delivered to low Earth
orbit [15]  ten Iridium [16] NEXT satellites [17]  that are part of a
developing global communications network [18] . The plume [19]  from the first
stage is seen on the right, while the soaring upper stage rocket is seen at
the apex of the plume [20]  toward the left. Several good [21] videos [22] of
the launch [23]  were taken [24] . The featured image was captured from Orange
County, California [25] , in a 2.5 second duration exposure.

                Gallery: More images of the SpaceX launch [26]
                   Tomorrow's picture: arctic fireball [27]

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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] image/1712/SpaceXLaunch_Bobchin_5407.jpg
  [3] mailto: craig @at@ astronomy4you .dot. com
  [4] http://www.spacex.com/
  [5] ap170122.html
  [6]
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9e/b7/32/9eb732bacf6acde3c844e7c1d1c5aa5b.jpg
  [7]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California#/media/
File:California_in_United_States.svg
  [8]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona#/media/File:Arizona_in_United_States.svg
  [9] ap141224.html
  [10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandenberg_Air_Force_Base
  [11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lompoc,_California
  [12] ap120208.html
  [13] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtdjCwo6d3Q&t=890s
  [14] http://www.spacex.com/falcon9
  [15]
https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/
what-is-orbit-58.html
  [16] http://investor.iridium.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=1052613
  [17]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Iridium_satellite_constellation#Next-generation_constellation
  [18] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtdjCwo6d3Q&t=544s
  [19] ap111127.html
  [20] ap150524.html
  [21] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE5C3O71Xqo&t=2m18s
  [22] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtjY5w8dR5Y
  [23] https://www.flickr.com/photos/halfastro/38524424684/in/pool-apods
  [24] https://vimeo.com/248591160
  [25] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County,_California
  [26]
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/
?set=a.1301352316635651.1073741836.230002920437268&type=1&l=11ff9b6a62
  [27] ap171225.html
  [28] ap171223.html
  [29] archivepix.html
  [30] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [31] lib/aptree.html
  [32] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [33] calendar/allyears.html
  [34] /apod.rss
  [35] lib/edlinks.html
  [36] lib/about_apod.html
  [37] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=171224
  [38] ap171225.html
  [39] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [40] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [41] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [42] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [43] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [44] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [45] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [46] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [47] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [48] http://www.mtu.edu/
