Rocket Launch Dazzles Kitt Peak Visitors

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lights up the sky as seen in this image taken last summer from the U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), a Program of NSF NOIRLab, near Tucson, Arizona. Although the rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base about 890 kilometers (550 miles) away in California, the recently set Sun lit up the rocket’s exhaust plume for miles as the plume dramatically expanded in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

With 23 optical and two radio telescopes, Kitt Peak National Observatory is the largest, most diverse gathering of astronomical instruments in the northern hemisphere. The observatory is located in Arizona’s Quinlan mountains in the Schuk Toak District on the Tohono O'odham Nation. In the foreground of this image is the 0.9-meter SARA Kitt Peak Telescope operated by the Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA). KPNO offers daytime and nighttime public tours where visitors can explore facilities, observe through telescopes, and even stay all night to image deep-sky objects under clear, dark skies.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is used, among other things, to put Starlink satellites in orbit around Earth. These satellites provide Internet connectivity to remote areas, but also have the unfortunate effect of adding to the light pollution at night. NOIRLab is actively engaged with industry to mitigate the effects of this light pollution. 

Rob Sparks, the photographer, is a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador.