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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 February 11   
       The long plume of a launching rocket is seen on the left side of the   
       image. The upper part of the plume is bright, while the lower part is   
       smokey brown. The bright part of the plume is illuminated by the Sun   
      and casts a long and dark shadow corridor across the image. The shadow   
        appears to end on a Full Moon. Please see the explanation for more   
                               detailed information.   
      
                      Rocket Plume Shadow Points to the Moon   
                         Image Credit: Pat McCracken, NASA   
      
      Explanation: Why would the shadow of a rocket's launch plume point   
      toward the Moon? In early 2001 during a launch of the space shuttle   
      Atlantis, the Sun, Earth, Moon, and rocket were all properly aligned   
      for this photogenic coincidence. First, for the space shuttle's plume   
      to cast a long shadow, the time of day must be either near sunrise or   
      sunset. Only then will the shadow be its longest and extend all the way   
      to the horizon. Finally, during a Full Moon, the Sun and Moon are on   
      opposite sides of the sky. Just after sunset, for example, the Sun is   
      slightly below the horizon, and, in the other direction, the Moon is   
      slightly above the horizon. Therefore, as Atlantis blasted off, just   
      after sunset, its shadow projected away from the Sun toward the   
      opposite horizon, where the Full Moon happened to be.   
      
                     Almost Hyperspace: Random APOD Generator   
                          Tomorrow's picture: space orbs   
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