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    I set up a solar telescope in a wildlife refuge 8 miles from a launch pad to capture this: A Falcon 9 rocket transiting our sun. Apparently this is the first image of it's kind, revealing the details of the solar chromosphere behind an ascending rocket! More info in the comments. [OC]
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    I set up a solar telescope in a wildlife refuge 8 miles from a launch pad to capture this: A Falcon 9 rocket transiting our sun. Apparently this is the first image of it’s kind, revealing the details of the solar chromosphere behind an ascending rocket! More info in the comments. [OC]


    I set up a solar telescope in a wildlife refuge 8 miles from a launch pad to capture this: A Falcon 9 rocket transiting our sun. Apparently this is the first image of it’s kind, revealing the details of the solar chromosphere behind an ascending rocket! More info in the comments. [OC]

    https://i.redd.it/z1iap3j1xkqf1.jpeg

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    40 Comments

    1. ajamesmccarthy on

      This was captured with a hydrogen-alpha telescope, specifically tuned to be safe for use with the sun while revealing the solar chromosphere.

      To get this shot I traveled to Florida when there were launches scheduled that looked likely to transit the sun from a certain vantage. For this trip, there were two potential candidates. Unfortunately, the first one had clouds so thick the scope was useless. The second one pushed past when I was supposed to return home. I ended up extending my trip to try and catch it- and boy am I glad I did!

      The morning of the transit, I set up my scope where I thought the rocket would pass through, and shot repeated photos at about 10fps until the transit passed through the frame. Apparently this is also the first photo of its kind, as usually solar astronomers and rocket photographers don’t mix!

      If you want to see the video of the capture and the scope I used I show it on my latest reel on my [Insta](https://www.instagram.com/cosmic_background/)

    2. IceBone on

      Holy shit. This is one of the most amazing photos I’ve ever seen. I’m posting links to this post everywhere I can.

      Holy shit.

    3. Tha_Watcher on

      This is absolutely amazing, my friend!

      I will definitely be sharing this link with friends and family.

    4. Kissner on

      As an avid solar imager myself –

      It’s an amazing shot (especially the planning that went into it), but man do I hate that inverting is the convention for solar HA.

    5. bubdadigger on

      Is it even real?????
      No words. *”Unbelievably amazing”* couldn’t even scratch the surface……..

    6. DruidicMagic on

      That is one hell of an impressive photo. How long did it take you to figure out where to set up the shot?

    7. sputnikmonolith on

      I was searching for a word to describe this and I’ve settled on ‘Biblical’.

      Bravo. This is the photo of a lifetime!

      Edit: I hope you don’t mind but I’ve expanded this to 16:9 for my desktop [here](https://imgur.com/a/mkUnEHw)

    9. Warm_Adhesiveness934 on

      This should be a photo of the year. Dude! Submit it everywhere you can. This is amazing.

    13. Fancy-Pair on

      Hikaru kumo wo tsukinuke Fly Away (Fly Away)
      Karadajuu ni hirogaru panorama
      Kao wo kerareta chikyuu ga okotte (okotte)
      Kazan wo bakuhatsu saseru

    14. Krirby2 on

      That’s amazing. If I may ask, why is the tail distorting like that? Is it the heat of the sun visually distorting it or fuel being burned? Looks incredible either way.

    19. mahnamegeoff on

      This is an amazing shot! Any chance you can upload a hi res vertical with your watermark at the bottom? This would be an epic phone wallpaper

    24. The7Brothers on

      And the apes came down from the trees, built machines, and off to the stars they went. Remarkable picture, congrats!

    28. UnidentifiedBlobject on

      Stunning. Amazing shot. Really gives you pause to think about things. The Sun is incredible and it’s kinda crazy that big ball of light and heat is why (one of many whys) we’re here alive today. I can see why it has been worshipped as a God and they didn’t even get to see this sort of detail.

    30. 5riversofnofear on

      Holy smokes OP, this is the best capture I have ever seen. Congratulations to you on your skill.

    31. JackSilver1410 on

      One of my favorite things is dimmed star photos. It’s a constant reminder that “oh yeah, that is an actual solid object up there, not just a horrible bright light I constantly hide from.”

    36. InfinityOfSnakes88 on

      Magnificent 🎆

      It looks eerily like a burning matchstick that has been thrown so hard, that the flame has been forced backwards…

      Btw, is there any way to download this wonderful digital bundle without having to give all those personal details, such as address, etc (which are not actually necessary or relevant for digital orders)?

    38. greeneggsnhammy on

      The sun literally looks like an atom and the planets that circle is are the protons and neutrons. wtf is life.Â