Astronomy Picture of the Day - Leaving Earth

NASA ^ | 22 Mar,2026 | Video Credit: NASA, JHU Applied Physics Lab, Carnegie Inst. Washington, MESSENGER

[MtnClimber]

Explanation: What would it look like to leave planet Earth? Such an event was recorded visually in great detail by the MESSENGER spacecraft as it swung back past the Earth in 2005 on its way in toward the planet Mercury. Earth can be seen rotating in this time-lapse video, as it recedes into the distance. The sunlit half of Earth is so bright that background stars are not visible. The robotic MESSENGER spacecraft orbit around Mercury from 2011 to 2015 has conducted the first complete map of the surface. On occasion, MESSENGER peered back at its home world. MESSENGER is one of the few things created on the Earth that will never return. At the end of its mission, MESSENGER was purposefully crashed into Mercury's surface.

[MtnClimber]

To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

Today's inage is a short 11 second video at the source link.

[MtnClimber]

Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

Today's inage is a short 11 second video at the source link.

[Deaf Smith]

“one of the few things created on the Earth that will never return”

Anyone still tracking Spaceman & his Tesla that Musk launched a while back?

[MtnClimber]

I have not seen any updates on the Tesla and Spaceman. Maybe someone has info and can inform us.

[Nateman]

The Tesla went into an orbit between Earth and Mars.

[MtnClimber]

Yes, but I have not seen orbital plots. Earth and Mars are in slightly elliptical orbits and it is likely that Space Tesla is too. Being in a higher orbit than Earth it will have a longer orbital year. Just curious where it is relative to Earth.

[Nateman]

Newly discovered asteroid turns out to be Tesla Roadster launched into space

[GingisK]

...it is likely that Space Tesla is too...

It takes a minimum of two hard burns to circularize an orbit.

[Nateman]

https://www.whereisroadster.com/

[MtnClimber]

I have been somewhat observant in transfer orbit maneuvers for satellites I had been involved in designing. It is a very complicated process that most people are unaware of for GEO satellites.

I doubt that Space Tesla had any orbital corrections. There would be no reason for the expense.

[Deaf Smith]

“Worst case, you spend a billion launching a space probe to study an asteroid and only realize it’s not an asteroid when you get there.”

[GingisK]

Wasn’t any reason to orbit that thing in the first place. ;-D