Starship Asterisk*

The spikiness on the left side starts at the 9:30, or 270+ position. I would hope the artificial explanations are being reviewed.

Right, the ultimate (distal) cause of the ripples is shockwaves from the exhaust, not hot or rarified air. The link from the text had this to say:

[quote=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221014.html]Ripples and fringes along the edge of the lunar disk appear [b][color=#0040FF]as supersonic shock waves generated by the rocket's passage[/color][/b] change the atmosphere's index of refraction.[/quote]

However, the shockwaves from the exhaust are just ripples of varying density in the air, which amounts to differences in the air's "rarifiedness", which is the proximate cause of the light's refraction, so I would argue that the text isn't entirely incorrect, just lacking in clarity.

The moon also happens to show turquoise-green and reddish-orange rims, a known atmospheric phenomenon.

[quote=FLPhotoCatcher post_id=336053 time=1704177077 user_id=139392]
I think the ripples are shock waves, and are not caused by "pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air deflecting moonlight less strongly than pockets of relatively cool or compressed air.."
[/quote]

I agree. The given explanation sounds too fancifully conceived. What pockets? Where did they come from?

Whether shock waves or heat, the unanswered question is whether it’s tied to the rocket launch, or some broader condition.

I think the ripples are shock waves, and are not caused by "pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air deflecting moonlight less strongly than pockets of relatively cool or compressed air.."

[url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240102.html] [img]https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_240102.jpg[/img] [size=150]Rocket Transits Rippling Moon[/size][/url]

[b] Explanation: [/b] Can a rocket make the Moon ripple? No, but it can make a background moon appear [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110824.html]wavy[/url]. The rocket, in this case, was a [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX]SpaceX[/url] [url=https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-heavy/]Falcon Heavy[/url] that blasted off from [url=https://www.nasa.gov/]NASA[/url]'s [url=https://www.nasa.gov/kennedy/]Kennedy Space Center[/url] last week. In the [url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C1axBjiML5G/]featured launch picture[/url], the rocket's exhaust plume glows beyond its projection onto the distant, rising, and nearly full moon. Oddly, the Moon's lower edge shows [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220531.html]unusual drip-like ripples[/url]. The [url=https://science.nasa.gov/moon/]Moon itself[/url], far in the distance, was really unchanged. The [url=https://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/local/2016/05/19/why-do-we-see-waves-hot-objects/84598570/]physical cause[/url] of these [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221014.html]apparent ripples[/url] was pockets of relatively hot or rarefied air [url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-causes-a-mirage/]deflecting moonlight[/url] less strongly than pockets of relatively cool or compressed air: [url=https://youtu.be/m9cUy6B--xc]refraction[/url]. Although the [url=https://as2.ftcdn.net/v2/jpg/05/71/90/95/1000_F_571909511_2H2RjYDbjosmoIBPivtXCgf61mub22oS.jpg]shot was planned[/url], the timing of [url=https://youtu.be/yWUU1PqX6Og?t=50]the launch[/url] had to be just right for the rocket to be [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap201106.html]transiting the Moon[/url] during this single exposure.


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