Trailing Endeavour

SYFY WIRE Bad Astronomy

Trailing Endeavour

By Phil Plait

In the early morning of Oct. 13, 2012, photographer Eric Norris ventured to the intersection of Manchester Blvd. and Inglewood Ave. in Los Angeles to capture a once-in-a-lifetime shot: the stars over the tail and wing of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour:

What an outstanding photo! [Click to enlaunchenate.]

Endeavour was on its way to its final resting place, the California Science Center, when Norris took this lovely shot, which is actually a composite of over a hundred separate pictures. He has details on how he created it on his Flickr page. He also witnessed a launch from a few miles away some years earlier, which makes for a nice story.

So, recognize those stars to the upper right? Star trails can make it a bit confusing, but I bet if you hunt for the answer you'll figure it out.

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