This is the best one (sunset launches) I have seen yet. Actually first time seeing fairings in the plume. Crazy how long of a video it is. Seeing that second stage for that long is super cool.

What kind of camera are you using?

to say "the stars aligned" with this launch is appropriate. I suspect I'll completely muck up Wednesday's twilight launch. Bastages!@@FlockinIcehole

@@golookup wont know unless you try. Even just watching the launch at twilight is enough. Recording it is just a bonus. Goos luck! Im sure it will be soectacular. Dont over think it.

yeah, it's not like there are dire consequences if I mess up. LOL!

Thanks. Skills are built with proper conditions and repetition. SpaceX is kind enough enough to fly their Falcons increasingly frequently along a flight path seemingly optimized for my convenience (as all things should be :) ). I need to scrape La Jolla down to about 10' MSL to catch the launch earlier, but other than that...

I definitely hear you. I grew up in Orlando. Once at work, while running outside to catch a shuttle launch, a coworker asked "why are you guys still interested in this stuff?" "Heck, I'm still amazed that planes fly." (at that time, my apartment complex was on Orlando International's final flight path. Whenever a widebody was overhead, we'd pause playing tennis to watch the big fellas.) Metal things in the air is inherently unnatural and should be scrutinized. :) Motocross/Supercross for example (those motorcycles shouldn't be up there!!!)

there was a running joke in Orlando that the early morning Shuttle sonic booms (which would wake you from a hard sleep) were responsible for corresponding baby booms (back in those "well, as long as we're up" days)

@@golookupMan, it was a dream of mine as a kid to see a shuttle launch! They built a shuttle launch pad and crawler at VAFB here in CA, but never launched from here. Ive seen the shuttle re-enter and land here along the the window rattling double sonic boom many times. My grandfather was an engine test conductor at Rocketdyne. I was lucky enough to see a few F-1 shuttle engine tests. From the viewing area 1/4 mi away, the sound and shockwave was enough to knock you off of your feet if you weren't sitting down. I couldn't imagine 3 of those along with 2 boosters lighting up at the same time. Awesome display of raw power and energy, second only to maybe a volcano eruption.

I had a shuttle launch wake me out of bed one morning (I thought it was a tornado bearing down on the house), but I don't recall getting close to a launch (commonplace/youth). The last launch I was close to was invisible but very audible (SN11 from the jetty. Three raptors. That was pretty amazing. I'll go back when they start catching them. That will truly be science fiction in our time.@@scottthroop6208

Super cool thanks for sharing

Thanks! Props to SpaceX and the good fortune of my house having a great view of the flight path. Other than "what lens?" I hadn't prepared properly because we were socked in until right before the launch.

When I think of East Coast of Canada I think of amazing terrain, "exciting" weather, and intimidating seas. Is it awesome?

the original space revolution! I was too young to appreciate the Moon Race, but enjoyed the Shuttle Era, even though it was too expensive to really take off. This revolution is a permanent one I think.

thanks! last month's launch was good practice (kzfaq.info/get/bejne/es12Y6Rix7udd30.html). I typically turn off autofocus, focus on the farthest lights I can and leave the focus along. I forgot this time. The focus aids don't work so well (or at all) during filming (and mirrorless EFVs and my eyes make focusing too much of a guess). Next launch: tripod!

google "vanderberg launch schedule". There are pages and apps that will send you notifications for next launches.

Jupiter, then under Orion, then over Sea World... Good stuff!

yeah, it's amazing how far the booster flies ballistically (and it seems like the plume would slow it down (but from the in-booster cameras, it's clearly very rarefied))

it's awesome that your son is interested in this. It's an amazing time to watch this transformation of our relationship with space. It's the most exciting part of our current (rather crazy) times.

Eventually, they'll be launching Starships from there. That will be wild if the lighting is right (they'll be infrequent, so rare to be visible).

Happy to share!

it turned out pretty good. Twilight shots are amazing.

and the work everyone has to do on top of it all just to maintain the Globe Hoax LOL!

I am very lucky to have the view that I have (as a Florida boy, it blows my mind that I can see the Pacific Ocean (!) from my house). Twenty years ago, I didn't think "Hey, this will be a great place to watch very frequent SpaceX launches", but got lucky. I've never seen a launch from closer to Vandenberg; might have to plan a trip.

there are websites and apps that keep up-to-date launch schedules. SpaceX is launching a LOT this year.

It's all in the lighting. Consider satellites. There are thousands visible all the time - if the light were right. The Space Station is extremely bright - as bright as Venus - but only when it's in direct sunlight and the sky is dark. Only shortly before sunrise and shortly after sunset. I can't see rockets in the day at all. And, yes, the plume is HUGE!

Thanks! It's interesting how much spaces is covered in that six second gap between MECO and second stage ignition.

we share what we love. It's great to hear from people who are excited about space!

I was born in 66, so I was a little too young to appreciate the Moon Race (I remember... splashdowns - the dullest part). I didn't expect to see launches when I moved from east of Orlando to San Diego - I am delighted that I am so well positioned to enjoy them!

The was the second time I caught the re-entry burn. The first time was a lucky accident. With the SpaceX feed in the background it helps with the timing.

congrats on your in-person experience. It's an exciting time to be near launch facilities!

If I recall, Phoenix was dark and the plume still in full sunlight - VERY dramatic!

happy to share. Big response to this: I'll do a little more prep next time.

that or a little bit later is the best time to see the launches

thanks. I knew what to expect with the entry burn this time (I ACCIDENTALLY caught it last time and didn't notice until someone pointed it out to me (FB has an active and skilled Vandenberg Launches group)

I bet. It was still pretty bright here, so the contrast wasn't as great. Phoenix had to be mostly dark and the plume was still completely in the sunlight: perfect! In the daylight, I can't even see anything: plume or even the flames...

you're welcome. I spent a lot of time in OKC in 2004-2005 (ODOT).

yep, I'm in Florida (the last Delta Heavy was delayed, but I caught a day and night launch from the Cape). The sunset launches are legitimately spectacular.

Your sky background was darker I assume, and the plume correspondingly much "brighter"? Very cool!

yeah, the interstate is a constant drone. You get used to it, but when you go someplace that's actually quiet... There is a Harley store down the road. They'll gang up: that's crazy loud. Oh, trains in the summer nights when the windows are open...

thanks, SpaceX is providing plenty of opportunities to practice

great time to launch - makes it easy.

but not here in San Diego in the daytime. When the plume is in the sunlight and the land and sky is dark, it's amazing. There are some great shots from Phoenix, New Mexico, Baja California...

I grew up in Orlando. I lived in Chuluota for a couple of years - a Shuttle launch woke me out of bed once.

@@golookup What an honor to be awake by that lol

I thought it was a tornado; it kept getting louder. I panicked and jump onto the floor to protect myself. And then remembered. Ran outside, it was about halfway up. @@oterosocram25

so, there's another in couple of days. I don't know whether to use a long lens (like my video before this one) or try with a telescope. Given the lighting, I do like the idea of catching the ground. Maybe long lens/telescope on the night shots? I should be able to get really good detail..

perfect flight path

Yeah, the flight was a perfect setup. The heavy clouds dissipated shortly beforehand. I didn't think I'd get a view at all. I'm from Orlando and I have family in Melbourne, FL (and North Carolina). The views from Melbourne are actually preferable than those from Orlando (I've seen only one from Melbourne). I know SpaceX had a southerly with a Return-to-Landing, but they weren't able to see it. Twilight launches are special! I'm hoping to catch a sunset Return-To-Landing - it should be spectacular. Proper jellyfish.

someone had mentioned a similarity to airplane contrails - but with big parts separating and trailing in the plume, and then a re-entry burn. So, similar to a plane, but bigger faster and "extra"

It comes close to overhead at San Pedro, doesn't it? That's gotta be weird (cool weird, but weird). I bet a Return To Landing would be phenomenal!

Aa Aw​

It's cool to see the booster on ascent and re-entry. I'm looking forward to a Return-to-Landing. That boostback burn should be amazing (but it has to be in twilight or night or it won't be visible)

I still see surprising stuff. An occasional unannounced missile test. I actually caught the trans-martian burn of the first Falcon Heavy, by accident. I thought it was an incoming missile. INCOMING is not how you want to see missiles.

La Jolla is definitely a blight on the launch side. But according to my flat earth calculations, I should be able to see the droneship or at least the burn (the fact that I have to say "just kidding" about FE is sad. The most extensive expensive hoax in history with no payoff: yeah, that makes sense).

speaking of Raptors, man: they're starting to look far more reliable (through multiple startup regimen). Good sign.

@@golookup I've been somewhat critical of the Raptors for a long while as they didn't appear to me to be fully baked, but the more recent versions do indeed appear to be functioning about where you'd expect. The next critical milestone for the Raptors is being able to use them for more than a single flight and then for dozens of flights -- not sure where they are on that development curve but I'd guess they have something to prove on that score. Operating at 300 bar or higher is going to make multiple flights harder to achieve.

in-space relight is an important milestone; pretty sure there are stakeholders who don't want a bunch of dead Starships clogging up LEO or randomly re-entering. And, yeah, Raptors are not exactly conservative designs like the Merlin. @@Raptorman0909

@@golookup Yep, relight is a requirement for many of the booster engines and most/all of the upper stage engines. The relight issue appears to be still something of a concern, but the requirements are well known and should be surmountable. As I mentioned, the long term usability of them for multiple flights and potentially hours of operation is the biggest hurdle given the chamber pressure of 300 bar or higher.

SpaceX is ushering in the dawn of a new, real, sustainable, accessible Space Age. It is indeed inspiring.

just wait until they start launching Starship from KSC!

@golookup That's gonna be a sight to see!! Looking forward to the day!

so, you got to experience the full Sputnik to Tranquility Base thrill ride in real time. I was a bit too young to really catch any of it. I only remember splashdowns, which is the least interesting part of it.

Daytime launches I can't see at all, but the evening and night shots are pretty epic.

I've seen launches over the years from north of Sacramento. That's gotta be over 300 miles. It's rare, but it's pretty awesome.

It's an amazing time for space!

An evening/night boost back burn would be pretty awesome. I guess it's the BBB that causes the "full Jellyfish." The launches are invisible in the daytime from here (haze? light scattering?). I'll have to keep an eye out for RTLs (Starlink doesnt', I think the Transporters might).

@@golookupThe best ones Ive seen are just after sunset when the gasses are backlit by the sun below the horizon like in this video. The full jellyfish effect is the 2nd stage Merlin vacuum engine exhaust as it leaves the atmosphere when there is no air pressure to contain the exhaust flow. The boost back burn happens just after the jellyfish effect starts to form. The BEST launch I've ever seen in these conditions just after sunset was the first launch of the Falcon Heavy when Musk launched his Tesla roadster as a payload. I saw the whole thing from my front yard along with the live feed play by play from Spacex playing on my phone. He promised a show beforehand and delivered! The entire launch was a test, and to simply show off. They intentionally programmed both boosters to do acrobatics creating spirals and pinwheels within the jellyfish with the orientation thrusters before the boost back burns. Those who weren't aware of the launch (probably about 95% of the Southwest US) were really freaked out, thinking aliens were coming through portals to invade earth LOL! My mom even called from Florida asking if we were ok after seeing her friends over here in CA freaking out on FB live.

I agree!

I think I've peaked and I'm all washed up now. :) thanks!

Si estoy encantada de poder ver estas

My son is at Cal Poly. He could watch from his dorm if he had any interest (he doesn't). I missed a launch from SLO by about three minutes, but was really impressed by the lingering plume in broad daylight. Launches in daytime are completely invisible here in San Diego. I'm tempted to move back to Orlando (I'd move to Cocoa Beach) specifically for Starship launch and catches.

backlit is pretty awesome (I'd like to see a boostback burn).

it was really cloudy about 45 minutes beforehand, glad it cleared up. Hopefully Wednesday night's launch will be clear as well.

thanks!

it's a phenomenon and it's a video, so yes! Thanks!

Half my life now spent here. Never thought I'd leave Florida.

I don't know, Elon is aiming his Starship tests at ya. :)

the best shots are the ones you take. Sometimes you get lucky.

you're very welcome

One of my favorite trips was three weeks in Italy with my wife. Venice is my favorite city and Pompeii is amazing (and everything else)

Facebook has a group called Vandenberg Rocket Launches - it's an amazing resource for photos and video of launches.

The launch cadence at KSC is at least one a week. In a few years, they'll be SuperHeavies. Florida is a lot easier to get to than Boca Chica TX (though the Gateway to Mars there is amazing). Vandeberg launches far less frequently but they're kind enough to fly them along the population centers.

I check spaceflightnow.com/launch-schedule/ and facebook has a Vandenberg Rocket Launches group (extremely good)

Yes! I have a couple which I've picked up personally from Bjorn. gooutlookup.net/equip/yeswatch/watchforstars.htm

Yeah, KSC launches AWAY from people - it does kill the views quite a bit. SpaceX has launched polar from KSC, with a RTL - that should have been similar. I don't recall if I've seen a Falcon from Orlando, but I saw one from Melbourne, where my mom lives now. Day launch, Falcon and flame very visible. Here, I cannot see daytime launches - no flame, no plume, nothing. But the night launches are...

(East Orlando is my hometown (near UCF, and a couple years in Chuluota (where the shuttle would wake me out of bed)).

@@golookupYes. Falcon Heavy with RTLS is usually good. I've seen several entry burns.

@@golookupYeah shuttle set off my car alarm every time!

As a dad, I'm all for dads getting more credit for how awesome we are. My dad was very good about fostering my interest in the world, the heavens, and the space program.

location, location, location!

I'm out of town, but was able to get my wife out on the patio so that she could see it.

the wide angle lens gives it pretty good context - but it's the fact that the vehicle and plume are still in direct sunlight that give it its image.

the flight profile is almost identical and SpaceX is doing them frequently.

somebody has a video from that mountain with Riverside in the foreground. It's beautiful.

I grew up by UCF. It's really weird to see the rockets going SIDEWAYS by you instead of safely AWAY from you. I'm definitely enjoying these, but I needs to see me some SuperHeavy launches. I heard a Starship test (with only three Raptors - 1/11th the amount of a SuperHeavy). They will be world-rocking!

you gotta be careful watching anything while driving: it can interfere with your texting! :)

@@golookup I appreciate your humor! :) It was actually an awkward moment for me because I generally do try to avoid messing with my phone while driving. However, in this case I couldn't resist trying to get as much footage as I could, even under the circumstances. You don't see things like that very often. To be honest, I'm very surprised at how decent my video came out considering I was more focused on the road and not having a collision with anyone than I was on my phone. I would only "side glance" at the phone every few seconds to make sure that I was keeping the subject centered on my screen as best as possible. I shared my video on my profile if you or anyone else is curious to see it. With that said, it is far inferior to your video, both in pixel quality, and length. I didn't even know about the event beforehand, but not only did you know, but you were prepared to capture the entire event from beginning to end and did an amazing job of it! From what I've seen so far, you probably got the best footage of anyone!

yep, sometimes you gotta take the risk. I shot a video through the rear view mirror of my toddler son playing on his new toy guitar he got from the fair. Timeless. He played for years, but that was the first strum. @@dubstronaut

spontaneity and candor, generally.

The SpaceX cadence has allowed me to practice - though I cant' see them in the daytime.

thanks!

thanks!

Hands-down best comment, Tony! :) Yes a backlit RTLS will be amazing; I'll keep an eye out and will do appropriate prep (I always say that). Same lens for framing, but definitely a mount this time (If I focus on booster, I'll only have to pan 40 degrees or so). The photography hobby got more serious when my son started playing volleyball - it was a way to overlap his activities with one of my hobbies. The launch captures are just a happy accident. Looking forward to capturing a proper jellyfish.

@@golookup Keep track of future launches on "next spaceflight" (Google search)'. Best. Tony

@@golookup I edited your video sync up to the SpaceX broadcast along with a photographer from Santa Barbara who covered the initial launch views until your video picked up at stagging. The KZfaq ID is 4qAERU2nLWI Enjoy. It's in 1080p not 4K. Tony.

@@golookup I also posted your video on the NASASpaceFlight Forums as this is perhaps the very first time a launch video, capturing all the major events in one continuous end-to-end shot, with great detail and clarity. You are to be commended, so many others get distracted, or give up holding the camera.

It was. It's a pleasure to see it. There's another on Wednesday.

awesome kindness, thanks!

Very!

have you seen a Starlink Train? (findstarlink.com)

@@golookup yes, I have been fortunate enough to see a starlink train, I was absolutely blow away.

my first one was amazing the next two were underwhelming (much much darker)@@redbullaussie

I saw one fairing. Some folks have clear footage of both fairing... It's pretty cool how these flights are kind enough to put on a show for us (thank you, polar orbits!)

I was reluctant to mount the camera because it goes close to overhead, sometimes the mount doesn't like that and you lose the shot. I'll keep practicing (and sharing).

Thank you! Cheers!

@@golookup Thank-you your videos are spectacular.🫶🏼

Can you see the daytime launches from Long Beach? In San Diego, we really need a twilight or night launch.

@@golookup When I lived in Long Beach we could see the contrail briefly but in order to see it like in your video or my video you need twilight or night time. I’ve seen all three and twilight is the best by far.

I'm very lucky!

Happy to do it. Glad you liked it!

thanks!

happy to post; thanks for thanking!!

Thank you! 😊