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Do you know what caused this?
So, I was at the Discover shuttle launch on Monday April 5th, and I was looking back through pictures and realized how weird this cloud was. Here is a link to the picture, if you have any idea what caused it, please tell me. Thanks.
2 Answers
- digquicklyLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
Well, ..., this is common for shuttle flights. The exhaust plume in the high atmosphere is illuminated by sunlight. Moreover, water in the exhaust vapor has crystallized making it much more reflective.
- 1 decade ago
It's caused by the smoke from the rocket being so high in the atmosphere that it's being lit by the sun, while where you're viewing it from is already dark (past sunset). These are called noctilucent clouds (nocti - as in nocturnal or night time; lucent - as in bright or radiant) and they are very common when rockets are shot off before sunrise or after sunset.
