                        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.

                                2026 June 15
    The disk of the Sun is shown with a rocket launching through it. The
     rising rocket shows a plume behind it and three unusual waves curve
      around its top tip. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                  Triple Shockwave from Sun Crossing Rocket
             Image Credit & Copyright: John Winkopp (WAI Media)

   Explanation: What's happening to this Sun-crossing rocket? The SpaceX
   Falcon 9 rocket, visible on the upper left, launched only about one
   minute before this amazing image was captured. As it rose to low Earth
   orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, in late May, the rocket became
   supersonic before it crossed the disk of the distant Sun -- from the
   perspective of the well-placed photographer. The spacecraft's high
   speed caused bow-shaped compressed-air shockwaves to form across
   leading surfaces, with at least three visible even outside the Sun's
   disk because they refract sunlight. The trailing exhaust caused
   turbulence visible on the lower right. None of this was damaging to the
   robotic Starlink 10-53 mission, which delivered 29 communications
   satellites to low Earth orbit as planned. And if that isn't amazing
   enough - the Sun had spots!

    Sky Surprise: What picture did APOD feature on your birthday? (after
                                    1995)
                     Tomorrow's picture: rings and moons
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

