Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Rocket Launch Plume over Tucson

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 15, 2025 is “Rocket Launch Plume over Tucson,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Wayne Showalter). The original explanation runs about 137 words.

A horizon including the Tucson skyline and Saguaro cacti shows the sky just after sunset. Prominent in the sky are clouds oddly shaped like a fish -- but are the launch plume of a recently launched rocket from California. Please see the exp
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Wayne Showalter Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“Yes, but can your sunset do this? Looking west from Tucson , Arizona , USA one day last month, the sunset sky looked strange when it briefly lit up with the plume of a rocket launched from California a few minutes earlier.”

— APOD editors, October 15, 2025

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 15, 2025
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Wayne Showalter
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 137 words

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.