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.

                               2024 January 2
   [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: [3]Steven Madow

   Explanation: Can a rocket make the Moon ripple? No, but it can make a
   background moon appear [4]wavy. The rocket, in this case, was a
   [5]SpaceX [6]Falcon Heavy that blasted off from [7]NASA's [8]Kennedy
   Space Center last week. In the [9]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 [10]unusual
   drip-like ripples. The [11]Moon itself, far in the distance, was really
   unchanged. The [12]physical cause of these [13]apparent ripples was
   pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air [14]deflecting moonlight less
   strongly than pockets of relatively cool or compressed air:
   [15]refraction. Although the [16]shot was planned, the timing of
   [17]the launch had to be just right for the rocket to be [18]transiting
   the Moon during this single exposure.

                       Tomorrow's picture: red sky arc
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [30]Robert Nemiroff ([31]MTU) & [32]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([33]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [34]Specific rights apply.
              [35]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [36]ASD at [37]NASA / [38]GSFC,
                         [39]NASA Science Activation
                           & [40]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2401/FalconMoon_Madow_1710.jpg
   3. https://www.instagram.com/stevenmadow/
   4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110824.html
   5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX
   6. https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-heavy/
   7. https://www.nasa.gov/
   8. https://www.nasa.gov/kennedy/
   9. https://www.instagram.com/p/C1axBjiML5G/
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220531.html
  11. https://science.nasa.gov/moon/
  12. https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/local/2016/05/19/why-do-we-see-waves-hot-objects/84598570/
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221014.html
  14. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-causes-a-mirage/
  15. https://youtu.be/m9cUy6B--xc
  16. https://as2.ftcdn.net/v2/jpg/05/71/90/95/1000_F_571909511_2H2RjYDbjosmoIBPivtXCgf61mub22oS.jpg
  17. https://youtu.be/yWUU1PqX6Og?t=50
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201106.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240101.html
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  23. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  25. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  28. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=240102
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240103.html
  30. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  31. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  32. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  33. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  35. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  36. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  37. https://www.nasa.gov/
  38. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  39. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  40. http://www.mtu.edu/