What is this picture? What's going on?

[Native]

I stumbled across this picture and found it interesting. I was curious to see what people might think it is or think of it general.

What do you think?

[Shamus]

I stumbled across this picture and found it interesting. I was curious to see what people might think it is or think of it general.

What do you think?

Errrrr.....tankie got ahold of some of those illegal bottle rockets again???

[Dreadnought]

If that picture was taken yesterday and in the California area then that would be a ballistic missile interceptor from the third fleet. It was in this mornings paper as well minus the picture. Not sure but possible. Cool looking though.

[RustyBattleship]

If that picture was taken yesterday and in the California area then that would be a ballistic missile interceptor from the third fleet. It was in this mornings paper as well minus the picture. Not sure but possible. Cool looking though.

Don't think so. I also read it in the paper and it was an SM3 that took out one of two ballistic missiles.

My problem is; what about that second missile?

[TopHatter]

That is the Space Shuttle Atlantis on February 7, 2001

From a NASA webpage:

What is the Plume?
This is a photograph of the Space Shuttle (STS-98) launch on February 7, 2001, at 6:13 p.m. eastern time. The whitish plume is the pillar of smoke and steam left behind by the solid rocket boosters. Looking carefully, you can see a very bright dot at the top of the column of smoke, which is the flame still visible at the base of the solid rocket boosters. Even as the Space Shuttle is blasting into orbit, lower-level winds have begun to twist its pillar of smoke.

Why is the top part of the plume brighter?
This photo was taken near sunset, when the sun was relatively low on the western horizon. In the photo, you are looking eastward. The top portion of the plume is much brighter because it is being illuminated directly by sunlight, whereas the bottom portion of the plume lies within the Earth's shadow.

What is the bright object?
The bright orb in the lower righthand corner of the picture is the nearly full, sunlit face of the moon, which has already risen above the eastern horizon.

What is the dark feature?
The dark, cone-shaped feature extending downward and eastward from the pillar of smoke is its shadow.

Why does the shadow point at the moon?
Because the launch took place near the full moon, any shadow cast would have to appear to end at the moon since the Earth, moon, and sun were naturally in alignment. Remember, you are looking eastward at the moon, and the sun is above and behind you in this perspective.

Here is a link to several similar shots taken that same day (scroll down to near the bottom of the page)

[Dreadnought]

Errrrr.....tankie got ahold of some of those illegal bottle rockets again???

))

[Native]

Nice job Top Hatter. How did you come up with your answer?

The launch plume of Atlantis intersects the waning minutes of sunlight producing a shadow that appears in a straight line due to the particulates in the air

Where I came across the image.

[TopHatter]

Nice job Top Hatter. How did you come up with your answer?

Thanks

I've seen that photograph before and recalled that it was a space shuttle launch, though not all the particulars until I looked it up.