Blue Skies on Pluto!

New Horizons Finds Blue Skies and Water Ice on Pluto

The first color images of Pluto’s atmospheric hazes, returned by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft last week, reveal that the hazes are blue. Not only that, but water ice is on the planet as well.  Not what I would have expected.

For more details on this finding check out  NASA.gov

Cotton Ball in the Sky

NASA successfully launched a sounding rocket Wednesday evening from its Wallops Flight Facility. The mission is designed to test new technology, with the aim of making future space missions less expensive and less risky. But part of the mission was to release vapor clouds using a new ejection system. Such clouds are used to study wind in space and the ionosphere.

Based on NASA broadcasts this vapor cloud, released about 130 miles above the Earth,  should produce a cloud with a mix of blue-green and red colors that will be visible along the east coast. I readied the camera and tripod, pointed to where I expected the cloud to be, and waited. Turns out, the camera was pointed a little too low. The cloud appeared - I quickly reset the camera - and got the last few seconds. Not all that impressive, more like a cotton ball in the sky - but I did capture it.

Canon 70D - 100mm  F/6.3 2sec ISO 800
Post processed with PixInsight

Although I looked for any evidence of the rocket's exhaust during liftoff none was seen. I guess the Black Brant exhaust was not bright enough to be seen all the way to Westminster MD.