Meandering Missle
At the end of a night of observing, I took a break to relax and watch the brightening twilight
sky. I was lucky enough to see the view above unfold before my eyes. Two rockets, apparently
launched from White Sands Missle Range some 300 miles distant, played "tag" in the Earth's
upper atmosphere. Most likely the intent was for one rocket to intercept the other and destroy
it. Luckily the experiment failed and the trail of one rocket recorded the darting dance that
took place in the sky. A combination of sunlight and crystalized propellant made the trail appear
bright with wonderful irridescent colors.
Zooming in to the image
shows many intricate details of the cloud in the moments before the winds in the upper atmosphere
swept this scene away.
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