Starship Asterisk*

Rocket Launch between Mountains

Explanation: What's happening between those mountains? A rocket is being launched to space. Specifically, a Long March 3B Carrier Rocket was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province in China about two week ago. The rocket lifted two navigation satellites to about 2,000 kilometers above the Earth's surface, well above the orbit of the International Space Station, but well below the orbit of geostationary satellites. China's Chang'e 3 mission that landed the robotic Yutu rover on the Moon was launched from Xichang in 2013. The featured image was taken about 10 kilometers from the launch site and is actually a composite of nine exposures, including a separate background image.

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And M45 as well...

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The featured image was taken about 10 kilometers from the launch site and is actually a composite of nine exposures.
Why????

Looks fake, to me. The fire trail is too distinct and has no off gases or air dispersion.

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:54 am The featured image was taken about 10 kilometers from the launch site and is actually a composite of nine exposures.
Why???? :?

Because cameras lack the dynamic range to capture all the elements in a scene like this in a single exposure.

Probably, see Chris' response to my similar complaint about the Everest photo a few days ago. See http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?t=38940

We are so used to see rocket launches from flat plains that one from a mountain valley looks weird!
John

PS Wow! Chris got in first!

The most interesting thing for me is the fact that the spaceport is located in the middle of a valley. It looks like a set for a James Bond movie.

Seems a strange place to launch from. There are less populated areas in China, and I'd hate to have to recover wreckage from a failed launch in those mountains. But it is fairly far south.

Typo: second sentence should read "two weeks ago."

Bellerophon wrote: ↑Tue Dec 04, 2018 6:12 pm
Seems a strange place to launch from. There are less populated areas in China, and I'd hate to have to recover wreckage from a failed launch in those mountains. But it is fairly far south.

Typo: second sentence should read "two weeks ago."

• In order not to end up (in) the Guizhou they are moving all the GEO missions to the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xichang_Satellite_Launch_Center wrote:
<<With the completion of the upgrade of Wenchang Satellite Launch Center scheduled for 2013, all the GEO missions will be transferred to this new space center. Due to negative aspects of the Xichang location, such as its higher latitude, the possibility of rocket stages falling on inhabited areas (Guizhou) and limited transport infrastructures, the Xichang Satellite Launch Center will no longer be used for civilian duties. However, it will not be closed, it will be kept to serve as a backup launch site.>>

Is that the Pleiades up in the top left corner? It would seem worth a mention in the Astronomy as opposed to Astronautical Photo of the Day.