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2026-06-15 04:07:17 UTC

APOD on Nostr: **Astronomy Picture of the Day** 15 June 2026 **Triple Shockwave from Sun Crossing ...

**Astronomy Picture of the Day**

15 June 2026

**Triple Shockwave from Sun Crossing Rocket**

Image:

Credit: 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 !

#APOD #Astronomy #Science #NASAInspires

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260615.html