{"id":238704,"date":"2025-09-19T10:41:15","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T10:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/238704\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T10:41:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T10:41:15","slug":"this-is-the-first-ever-photo-of-suns-chromosphere-and-a-rocket-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/238704\/","title":{"rendered":"This is the First-Ever Photo of Sun’s Chromosphere and a Rocket Launch"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>Blast off. The Sun\u2019s chromosphere is apparently disturbed by the wake of the rocket. <\/p>\n

Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy used a specially designed solar telescope attached to an astronomy camera to capture a unique image of a SpaceX rocket blasting off into orbit in front of the Sun. <\/p>\n

What makes this image so special is that McCarthy captured the Sun in hydrogen-alpha light, revealing amazing details in the star\u2019s chromosphere that cannot be seen in normal white light. The rocket and fiery plume create shockwaves, scattering the light. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>\u2018Defeating Gravity\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been dabbling in rocket photography out of Texas and Florida, and I recently spent several days in Florida chasing solar rocket transits, and caught two of them,\u201d McCarthy tells PetaPixel. <\/p>\n

\u201cI captured them with two types of cameras, a relatively normal Canon R5<\/a> with a solar filter on a telephoto lens, and then a specially designed solar telescope with an astronomy camera. The image I got with the solar telescope is, as far as I know, the only photo of its kind in existence \u2014 a photo of a rocket with the sun in hydrogen-alpha light behind it.\u201d <\/p>\n

PetaPixel searched for similar photos to McCarthy\u2019s but cannot find any. While other astrophotographers have captured silhouetted airplanes<\/a> with the sun in H-alpha, McCarthy is apparently the first to capture a rocket. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>This photo, taken in white light with a Canon R5, lacks detail in the solar disk when compared to the hydrogen-alpha shot. <\/p>\n

The rocket McCarthy captured was a Falcon 9, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 6. Its mission was Starlink 10-57, the 27th flight for Booster 1069. It was carrying 28 individual satellites to Low Earth Orbit.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo capture it, I set up my cameras on a dirt road in a wildlife refuge about eight miles west of the launchpad,\u201d McCarthy explains. \u201cGetting in the right spot was a challenge, and I didn\u2019t have the experience to plan for this well, so I leaned on the expertise of my fellow rocket-chasers who gave me good advice on where to stand.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/a>Detail. <\/p>\n

Covering rocket launches can be a risky business as McCarthy knows all too well. Earlier this year, he had a lens destroyed<\/a> after he placed it next to a launchpad. <\/p>\n

If you would like to purchase a print of the rocket\/H-alpha Sun shot, then head on to McCarthy\u2019s website<\/a>. More of his work can be found on his Instagram<\/a>, X<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, and website<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Image credits:<\/strong> All photos by Andrew McCarthy. <\/p>\n