                        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 20

                         Falcon Heavy Boostback Burn
                    Image Credit & Copyright: Dennis Huff

   Explanation: The December 28 night launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket from
   Kennedy Space Center in Florida marked the fifth launch for the
   rocket's reusable side boosters. About 2 minutes 20 seconds into the
   flight, the two side boosters separated from the rocket's core stage.
   Starting just after booster separation, this three minute long exposure
   captures the pair's remarkable boostback burns, maneuvers executed
   prior to their return to landing zones on planet Earth. While no
   attempt was made to recover the Falcon Heavy's core stage, both side
   boosters landed successfully and can be flown again. The four previous
   flights for these side boosters included last October's launch of
   NASA's asteroid-bound Psyche mission.

                        Tomorrow's picture: snow day
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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