Category: Photography

Launch of Firefly Alpha FLT005

/ Add comment
Wide-angle photograph of the Firefly Alpha launch. The exhaust plume from the 1st stage can be seen low near the horizon while the rapidly expanding rocket exhaust from the 2nd stage develops an arch shape. Also visible is the red glow in the ionosphere.
Wide-angle photograph of the Firefly Alpha launch. The exhaust plume from the 1st stage can be seen low near the horizon while the rapidly expanding rocket exhaust from the 2nd stage develops an arch shape. Also visible is the red glow in the ionosphere.

The 5th flight of a Firefly Alpha rocket was launched from Vandenberg Space Flight Base last week (03 July 2024). This was the first time I had observed a Firefly launch and was not certain what to expect. I started photographing the launch using a telephoto (80mm) but a few minutes into the flight I realized I needed a wide-angle lens (12mm) to fully capture the rapidly expanding rocket exhaust.

Firefly Alpha rises above the trees as seen from Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona. (80mm telephoto)
Firefly Alpha rises above the trees as seen from Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona. (80mm telephoto)

I manually tracked the flight and captured a few more images in which the 1st stage and fairings can be seen.

Firefly Alpha 2nd stage rocket with 1st stage following a short distance behind.
Firefly Alpha 2nd stage rocket with 1st stage following a short distance behind.
Firefly Alpha launch with 2nd stage. The 1st stage is executing a spiral as it begins its descent.
Firefly Alpha launch with 2nd stage. The 1st stage is executing a spiral as it begins its descent.
The 1st stage continues to produce a spiral rocket exhaust cloud.
The 1st stage continues to produce a spiral rocket exhaust cloud.

Using the wide angle lens I was able to capture a sequence of images suitable for time lapse, presented below.

Time lapse video of the Firefly Alpha rocket launch from Vandenberg SFB on 03 July 2024.

As noted above, I switched from a telephoto lens to wide angle lens a few minutes into the flight–thus the time lapse starts well after launch. Nonetheless, the rapidly expanding rocket exhaust shows up well. Also, there is a hole punched in the ionosphere causing it to glow red. This video was featured on Spaceweather.com and a description of the red glow was provided:

The lingering red glow is “the hole.” Earth’s ionosphere is a layer of electrically-conducting gas enveloping our planet more than 100 km high. It plays a key role in shortwave radio communications and GPS positioning. When Alpha burned through the ionosphere, water and carbon dioxide in therocket’s exhaust quenched local ionization by as much as 70%. Red light is the afterglow of this process.

It was spectacular to watch and photograph. As always, I look forward to additional launches from Vandenberg SFB.

Moonrise and Cathedral Rock–May 2024

We are now in the season for capturing the nearly-full Moon as it rises behind Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona. The best time to capture this is a day (or two) before the actual full Moon so that late afternoon sunlight still illuminates Cathedral Rock. As always, The Photographers Ephemeris greatly aides in determining the best location to capture this event.

The nearly-full Moon rises behind Cathedral Rock and Oak Creek near Sedona, Arizona.
The nearly-full Moon rises behind Cathedral Rock and Oak Creek near Sedona, Arizona.

The timing on this Moonrise was late enough that the Sun would already be partially obscured by mountains and ridges to the west. So one photograph was made when the light on Cathedral Rock was most dramatic and about ten minutes later the Moon photograph was taken as it rose above Cathedral Rock. The two photographs were then combined to create this composite image.

A short time earlier there were several people on the rocks in the creek including a portrait photographer. Thankfully they got their shots and left before it was time for us to take our photographs.

Bonus: a few days earlier I shot this image of the waxing gibbous Moon using a 500mm telephoto.

Waxing gibbous Moon on 17 May 2024.
Waxing gibbous Moon on 17 May 2024.

 

SpaceX/Falcon 9 De-Orbit Burn–II

A few weeks ago I posted some photographs of the 2nd stage of a Falcon 9 performing a de-orbit burn as it moved over the southwestern states. I recently had another chance to view a de-orbit burn and, as suggested in the previous post, used it as an opportunity to try some different things.

De-orbit burn of the Falcon 9 second stage as it moves over the southwestern United. States. Note the red glow as water vapor from the expelled exhaust briefly deionizes the ionosphere.
De-orbit burn of the Falcon 9 second stage as it moves over the southwestern United. States. Note the red glow as water vapor from the expelled exhaust briefly deionizes the ionosphere.

I wanted to use a telephoto lens this time and chose the Nikon 80–200mm f/4 zoom lens. This lens has manual focus and, more importantly, has a hard stop at infinity focus. This makes it very easy to focus in the dark.

30-second exposure using the 200mm lens showing both the bright burn and the expelled gases.
30-second exposure using the 200mm lens showing both the bright burn and the expelled gases.
A 2-second exposure using the 200mm lens showing the expelled gases.
A 2-second exposure using the 200mm lens showing the expelled gases.
An 8-second exposure using the telephoto showing the red glow of the ionosphere.
An 8-second exposure using the telephoto showing the red glow of the ionosphere.

My choice for a second camera was originally going to be shooting video. But the launch was delayed and the reentry was not going to happen during twilight. The video might have been difficult in those conditions. Instead, I decided to use my ultra-wide 12mm lens and mounted it on my older Nikon D700 camera.

Everything worked out well including the expected time of the burn. I was surprised when the burn ended and it became difficult to keep track of the rocket. Suddenly, it lit up a second time overhead and slightly behind me. This lasted only a few tens of seconds. And, once again, I was unable to pivot the telephoto lens around. But the ultra-wide angle lens managed to capture it.

The image of the de-orbit burn is great but watching it as it occurred was really spectacular.

There are two de-orbit burns scheduled in a few days but these will occur during daylight hours. I wonder if I will be able to see the burn?

See this article for information on ionosphere holes and red glow.

Twilight Launch from Vandenberg Space Flight Base

/ 2 Comments

There was yet another twilight launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Flight Base on Saturday evening. These launches can be magnificent to watch as the expanding gases from the rocket exhaust are illuminated by the sun–already well below the horizon. It lights up bright at first then slowly dims as the exhaust thins and spreads across the sky and the sun drops lower. The clouds can be colorful much like noctilucent clouds (“night shining clouds”).

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Flight Base. The image was shot from within the San Francisco Volcanic Fields.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Flight Base. The image was shot from within the San Francisco Volcanic Fields.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Flight Base.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Flight Base.
Noctilucent clouds from the rocket exhaust linger into twilight.
Noctilucent clouds from the rocket exhaust linger into twilight.

And here are two time-lapse sequences of the rocket and the noctilucent clouds.

Time lapse of the SpaceX Falcon 9 accelerating across the western sky.

Time lapse of the expanding noctilucent cloud in the western sky.

The cadence of launches is increasing and we will see many more of these in the weeks and months. Hopefully, some of them will be during twilight.

Bonus: while watching we saw a fireball cross the sky from low in the east, moving overhead, then finally ending in the west. It was so bright that you almost felt that you could reach out and grab it. Wow!

Edit: fixed typos.

 

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks remains in the western sky–visible as twilight fades. But don’t wait too long in the evening or it gets too low in the western sky and becomes difficult to see. Also, it requires long exposure photographs or binoculars/telescope to see. There are projections that it may brighten to become just barely visible to the unaided eye in a few weeks.

Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on 09 March 2024. This is a single image taken with a 500mm telephoto lens.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on 09 March 2024. This is a single image taken with a 500mm telephoto lens.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) on 04 March 2024. Stack of 13 x 120 second images.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks and the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) on 04 March 2024. Stack of 13 x 120 second images.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on 09 March 2024. A stack of images with Max value so that satellite tracks are not removed.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks on 09 March 2024. A stack of images with Max value so that satellite tracks are not removed.

I’ve had several opportunities recently to photography the comet including its positioning in the sky near the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). A normal to short telephoto lens (i.e, ~50 to 85mm) was a good choice for capturing both objects while a longer telephoto (i.e., 180mm or even 500mm) worked best for isolating the comet.

Bonus photo: Andromeda Galaxy (M31) taken 13 January 2020.
Bonus photo: Andromeda Galaxy (M31) taken 13 January 2020.

Of course, the comet is not the only object in the sky. Satellites are constantly moving across the sky. Fortunately, software can remove the tracks by stacking multiple photographs and taking the Median or the Mean value at each pixel. On the other hand, it can be useful to take the Max value at each pixel to illustrate the number of satellites crossing even a small portion of the sky in a short period of time.