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.

                              2021 December 22
     [2]The featured image shows a long exposure image of the launch of
   NASA's IXPE observatory to low Earth orbit. The launch was on a Falcon
      9 Rocket by SpaceX. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                       Launch of the IXPE Observatory
                 Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Jordan Sirokie

   Explanation: [4]Birds don't fly this high. [5]Airplanes don't go this
   fast. The [6]Statue of Liberty weighs less. No [7]species other than
   [8]human can even comprehend [9]what is going on, nor could any
   [10]human just a [11]millennium ago. The launch of a [12]rocket bound
   for space is an event that [13]inspires awe and challenges description.
   [14]Pictured here, a [15]SpaceX [16]Falcon 9 rocket [17]lifted off from
   [18]Kennedy Space Center, [19]Florida earlier this month carrying the
   [20]Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). [21]IXPE is scheduled to
   observe high-energy objects such as [22]neutron stars, black holes, and
   the [23]centers of distant galaxies to better determine the [24]physics
   and [25]geometries that create and control them. From a standing start,
   the 300,000+ kilogram [26]rocket ship lifted [27]IXPE up to circle the
   [28]Earth, where the outside air is too thin to breathe. [29]Rockets
   bound for space are now [30]launched from somewhere on Earth [31]every
   few days.

                Launch Update: [32]James Webb Space Telescope
                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [44]Robert Nemiroff ([45]MTU) & [46]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([47]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [48]Specific rights apply.
              [49]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [50]ASD at [51]NASA / [52]GSFC
                           & [53]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2112/IxpeLaunch_Sirokie_1875.jpg
   3. https://www.instagram.com/sir_oki/
   4. https://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/
   5. https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/UEET/StudentSite/airplanes.html
   6. http://www.nps.gov/stli/
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190818.html
   9. http://www.dumpaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/scary-pictures-22.jpg
  10. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/photos.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010101.html
  12. https://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/TRC/Rockets/history_of_rockets.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161017.html
  14. https://www.instagram.com/p/CXQrQ28Oo6_/
  15. https://www.spacex.com/
  16. https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-9/
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160721.html
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Space_Center
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida
  20. https://ixpe.msfc.nasa.gov/
  21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IXPE
  22. https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/neutron_stars1.html
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140224.html
  24. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics
  25. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometry
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180624.html
  27. https://youtu.be/9VgSkMDaFNk
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070325.html
  29. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/launching-into-space/en/
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210401.html
  31. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_in_spaceflight
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/james-webb-space-telescope-launch-update
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211221.html
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  37. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  39. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  40. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  41. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  42. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=211222
  43. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211223.html
  44. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  45. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  46. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  47. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  48. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  49. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  50. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  51. https://www.nasa.gov/
  52. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  53. http://www.mtu.edu/