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Credit: Paulo Raymundo
(Salvador, Brazil)
Explanation:
Streaking low
across the western horizon after sunset, the Russian
Mir
space station makes a final pass through the evening sky above the
coastal city of Salvador, Brazil.
In this 5 minute 20 second time exposure made with
ASA 800 film and a wide-angle lens on March 19,
setting stars leave short, almost vertical
trails.
A rapidly moving Mir travels horizontally, trailing toward the left
(south) edge of the picture.
Reflecting sunlight from low Earth orbit, the
historic
space station chanced to produce
a "farewell" flare near the
end of its visible track.
As if in poignant response, the
Hubble
Space Telescope appeared in
Brazilian skies within a minute after
Mir's passage and also left a
flare along a trail moving toward the top of the picture.
Lights visible
on the horizon are from nearby Itaparica Island.
After 15 years in service, the
long-lived
Mir space station is scheduled to be safely deorbited today.
The splashdown of its surviving pieces is targeted for a remote area
of the South Pacific Ocean.
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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: HST - star trail - satellite - Mir - space station
Publications with words: HST - star trail - satellite - Mir - space station
See also: