Noctilucent Cloud after Launch - courtesy: Spaceweather.com

The space shuttle Discovery lifted off on Monday and while the liftoff was uneventful, the sky told a different story.  Take a look at the pictures below and read what Jonathan Sabin of Ellenton, Florida had to say about the launch…

I’ve seen some truly spectacular Space Shuttle launches since the Columbia first rocketed into space in 1981, but the launch of STS-131 was in a whole new category. Standing alone at the edge of a deserted cow pasture, I watched in awe as the craft first appeared over a line of trees about a quarter mile away… and as it ascended towards space, was transfixed by the sight of a towering back-lit column of exhaust. And THEN… about half a minute or so after the SRBs separated, a plume appeared around the craft itself, and the view changed into something that I had never witnessed before. A moving, nebulous “blob” that expanded and twisted as the Shuttle arched its way back toward the horizon as it continued into orbit.

It truly is an amazing sight.  There are more pictures, too.  I’ve posted a couple of them below.

UPDATE:  I received an e-mail from Jonathan with a link to more pictures on his Flickr page.  Take a look.  There are some pictures that he didn’t send to spaceweather.com, too.

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