It is my habit to walk in the early mornings, taking laps around our pool; they're short, but they add up, and the predawn time is gentle and the coolest part of the day. There's something magical about watching the world gradually become visible, and hearing the morning symphony change from insects and frogs to awakening birds.
Just before 5:30, today added something that brings back a smile even as I write about it. On one of my rounds my eye was caught by a spot of light in the east. That's not unusual, as we see the lights of many planes on their way to or from the Orlando International Airport. But this light was orange.
Moving to where I could better discern what my peripheral vision had picked up, I realized that I had one of the best views ever of a launch from Cape Canaveral. The rocket was high in the sky by the time the sight cleared our roof, but it had been launched at an unusually good angle, coming nearly straight toward us. As I determined later, it was the Starlink 10-42 mission, the record-breaking 36th flight for this particular booster.
The orange plume in the clear, dark sky was stunning, and I watched until it winked out at MECO (Main Engine Cutoff).
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