APOD: 2026 October 16 – Chasing the International Space Station
NASA Science ·
The post APOD: 2026 October 16 – Chasing the International Space Station appeared first on NASA Science .
Science APOD APOD: 2026 October 16 –… Today’s APOD Archive Submissions Index Search Calendar RSS Education About Discuss APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Explanation: Blasting into the predawn sky on Tuesday, October 13, a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft are headed for low Earth orbit in this stunning timelapse video captured from Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. Starting with a launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Falcon and Dragon are chasing the International Space Station on NASA’s 35th Commercial Resupply Services mission. On cue, the space station itself enters the frame from the top. Almost 8 seconds into the 30 second timelapse. the bright streak of the ISS appears heading “down” toward the horizon. The first and second stages of the Falcon 9 are separating as the spectacular exhaust plume jellyfish grows, already catching the light of the rising Sun. The visible sequence of first stage boost back, re-entry, and landing burns begins around 20 seconds into the video. With the second stage following the ISS toward the distant horizon, the jellyfish plume continues to drift in the predawn sky, even after the successful first stage landing at planet Earth’s Landing Zone 40. Tomorrow’s picture: pixels in space
Yesterday's Image APOD: 2026 October 15 – The Milky Way over Manhattan Tomorrow's Image The post APOD: 2026 October 16 – Chasing the International Space Station appeared first on NASA Science .