SpaceX launched a Cargo Dragon spacecraft packed with nearly 6,300 pounds of supplies and experiments for the International Space Station on March 14, 2023 at 8:30PM. The launch was from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Temperatures were cool with a brisk breeze on the Space Coast at liftoff. This often causes distortion in photographs where the subject is at a distance — for example, one of a rocket that is six miles away from the camera. The effect is called “heat shimmer” and occurs because at that distance the differences in the overall density of the air, which in turn affects the indices of refraction for light passing through it.
No matter, it was a flawless launch and one that was really fun to watch.
