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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.   
      
                                  2024 January 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: Steven Madow   
      
      Explanation: Can a rocket make the Moon ripple? No, but it can make a   
      background moon appear wavy. The rocket, in this case, was a SpaceX   
      Falcon Heavy that blasted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center last   
      week. In the 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 unusual drip-like ripples. The Moon   
      itself, far in the distance, was really unchanged. The physical cause   
      of these apparent ripples was pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air   
      deflecting moonlight less strongly than pockets of relatively cool or   
      compressed air: refraction. Although the shot was planned, the timing   
      of the launch had to be just right for the rocket to be transiting the   
      Moon during this single exposure.   
      
                          Tomorrow's picture: red sky arc   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
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