                        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 January 2
     A rocket is pictured ascending during launch. A nearly full moon is
   behind it. The rocket exhaust, itself visible, causes the bottom of the
    Moon to appear unusually rippled. Please see the explanation for more
                            detailed information.

                        Rocket Transits Rippling Moon
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Steven Madow

   Explanation: Can a rocket make the Moon ripple? No, but it can make a
   background moon appear wavy. The rocket, in this case, was a SpaceX
   Falcon Heavy that blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center last
   week. In the featured launch picture, the rocket's exhaust plume glows
   beyond its projection onto the distant, rising, and nearly full moon.
   Oddly, the Moon's lower edge shows unusual drip-like ripples. The Moon
   itself, far in the distance, was really unchanged. The physical cause
   of these apparent ripples was pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air
   deflecting moonlight less strongly than pockets of relatively cool or
   compressed air: refraction. Although the shot was planned, the timing
   of the launch had to be just right for the rocket to be transiting the
   Moon during this single exposure.

                       Tomorrow's picture: red sky arc
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

