|
Credit & Copyright: Ray Palmer
Explanation:
Place your cursor on this stunning view of dark skies
over western Australia to highlight wonders of the southern
Milky Way -- including the famous
Southern Cross,
the dark Coal Sack Nebula, and
bright reddish emission regions surrounding massive star
Eta Carinae.
Recorded Tuesday at about 2 am, the thirty minute long
color film exposure
also captured a bright but mysterious object that
moved slowly across the sky for over an hour.
Widely seen, the object began as a small
point and expanded as it tracked toward the North (left),
resulting in a
comet-like appearance in this picture.
What was it?
Reports are
now identifying the mystery glow with a plume from
the
explosion of a malfunctioned Russian rocket stage
partially filled with fuel.
The rocket stage was marooned in
Earth orbit
after a failed communication
satellite
launch almost a year ago on February 28, 2006.
A substantial amount of debris from the breakup can be tracked.
|
January February March April May June July August September October November December |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: rocket
Publications with words: rocket
See also: