Astronomy Picture of the Day

Explanation: The space shuttle orbiter Discovery is now docked with the International Space Station, some 350 kilometres above planet Earth. Last Monday, its launch to orbit was a beautiful one as it rose into clear, predawn skies at 6:21am EDT from Kennedy Space Centre's pad 39A. Looking east, this time exposure was taken shortly after lift off from a marina about 13 miles west of the launch site in Titusville, Florida. It shows the dawn's emerging colours along the horizon, with wafting rocket contrails at the upper right. The bright streak surrounded by the remarkable, elongated, vapour cloud near the centre of the image is the actual track of Discovery, arcing toward the horizon and its orbital rendezvous.