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                        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.

                              2025 February 17
   Houses are seen on a street below the night sky. In the sky is a bright
   light plume that looks like the outline of a giant fish. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                 SpaceX Rocket Launch Plume over California
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Martin LaMontagne

   Explanation: What's happened to the sky? Last Monday, the photogenic
   launch plume from a SpaceX rocket launch created quite a spectacle over
   parts of southern California and Arizona. Looking at times like a giant
   space fish, the impressive rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base
   near Lompoc, California, was so bright because it was backlit by the
   setting Sun. The Falcon 9 rocket successfully delivered to low Earth
   orbit 23 Starlink communications satellites. The plume from the first
   stage is seen on the right, while the soaring upper stage rocket is
   seen at the apex of the plume toward the left. Venus appears at the top
   of the frame, while a bright streetlight shines on the far right. The
   featured image was captured toward the west after sunset from near
   Phoenix, Arizona.

                       Tomorrow's picture: Thor birds
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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