满天的光弧

2024年8月17日

Sky Full of Arcs
Image Credit & Copyright: Rory Gannaway

Explanation: On August 11 a Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched from a rotating planet. With a small satellite on board its mission was dubbed A Sky Full of SARs (Synthetic Aperture Radar satellites), departing for low Earth orbit from Mahia Peninsula on New Zealand’s north island. The fiery trace of the Electron’s graceful launch arc is toward the east in this southern sea and skyscape, a composite of 50 consecutive frames taken over 2.5 hours. Fixed to a tripod, the camera was pointing directly at the South Celestial Pole, the extension of planet Earth’s axis of rotation in to space. But no bright star marks that location in the southern hemisphere’s night sky. Still, the South Celestial Pole is easy to spot. It lies at the center of the concentric star trail arcs that fill the skyward field of view.

Gallery: Perseid Meteor Shower 2024 and Aurorae

Tomorrow’s picture: sunny day

满天的光弧
影像提供与版权: Rory Gannaway

说明: 8月11日，火箭实验室的“电子火箭”从新西兰北岛的马希亚半岛发射，执行名为“合成孔径雷达卫星”的运载任务，把一颗小卫星送入近地轨道。在这幅由摄于2.5小时期间的50张照片组合而成、背景为南半球的天空与海洋之影像里，电子火箭曳着炫亮的发射光弧，优雅的朝东而去。拍照的相机则固定在三脚架上，镜头直指地球自转轴在太空的2个延伸点之一的南天极。虽然在南半球的夜空中，并无亮星标记此位置，但是这些挤满夜空的同心星轨之中心，即为南天极，所以不难办识。

画廊: 2024年英仙座流星雨和极光

明日的图片: sunny day