Astronomy Picture of the Day -- New Horizons Launch to Pluto

NASA ^ | July 12, 2015 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: Destination: Pluto. The New Horizons spacecraft roared off its launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA in 2006 toward adventures in the distant Solar System. The craft is the fastest spaceships ever launched by humans, having passed the Moon only nine hours after launch, and Jupiter only a year later. After spending almost a decade crossing the Solar System, New Horizons will fly past Pluto on Tuesday. Pluto, officially a planet when New Horizons launched, has never been visited by a spacecraft or photographed up close. After Pluto, the robot spaceship will visit one or more Kuiper Belt Objects orbiting the Sun even further out than Pluto. Pictured, the New Horizons craft launches into space atop a powerful Atlas V rocket.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit and Copyright: Ben Cooper]

[SunkenCiv]

The Slightly Bigger One

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[LibWhacker]

Coolest still I’ve seen of the launch, thanks!

[TheOldLady]

That’s an amazing photo, Mr. Civilizations.

If you click on the link in the OP, and then click on the photo at the
APOD site, a nice, big picture of the launch appears.

Then if you have a mouse that can expand things if you press Ctrl
and spin the wheel, you can get really up close and personal to see
the fine details.