I didn’t get a lot of sleep this past week, partly because of a trio of night rocket launches from here on Florida’s Space Coast. Technically, while one was a SpaceX launch a week ago just after sunset, the other two were in the wee hours. Those are the ones that killed my sleep schedule, but it’s hard to resist a chance to nab streak shots.
All of these were shot at ISO 100 and f/18 on my Nikon 500. The time varied based on how long I decided to keep the shutter open; I judge that on the fly and try not to let the rocket escape my frame (usually). A tripod is essential for this kind of shot. For the first and third shots, I used my 12-24mm lens (set at 12mm). For the fog shot, I used my 10.5mm fisheye in an attempt to catch the reflection of the rocket’s ascent. This doesn’t always work, but it helps if the lagoon is still or if you’re on a wet beach.
SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral with a load of Starlink satellites on December 2, 2021, as seen from Cocoa Beach … and over the tikis at Minutemen Causeway.
This launch of an Atlas 5 rocket with a Space Force playload on December 7 was delayed from 4 a.m. to 5:19 a.m., and in that time, fog socked in my location on the Indian River Lagoon in Rockledge. It gave this photo a dreamy quality.
SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket with a NASA X-ray astronomical observatory aboard on Dec. 9.