Chemical clouds are sometimes formed in space as a result of ejection of
chemical canisters from satellites or rockets. The following are a few
low light level TV images from a Lithium release associated with the
AMPTE launch.The time counters in the frames are times from start of
video recording. A 5-inch refractor was used as an objective lens. In
the two frames you can see the expansion change in the cloud with time.
The images were taken April 11, 1985 from Parker, Colorado at 0524 UT
while the cloud was 114,488 km above the earth.
The presence of bright comets in the sky is enough to reveal the rather incredible delicacy of some astronomical targets. Here is a photo of Comet Hale-Bopp I shot using Tri-X film from White Sands NM, March 18, 1997. The 30 second exposure of the comet also shows astronauts Steve Robinson and Jan Davis in the foreground.
