Space Shuttle Launch

It's always exciting when the shuttle launches, but it's even more fun when it launches at night. Especially on a beautiful night like tonight.  We had a perfect view from the back yard, and a clear shot of the bright orange burst of fire and light that comes up over the horizon within a few seconds of the launch.  

The moon just minutes before the launch (click on any of the pictures to see a larger image):

And it's up!  It may just look like a streak of orange, but in real life it is so much more impressive (and exciting).  I've seen this event so many times in my life, and I still get goose bumps every time:

I zoomed out so that you could see the shuttle as it passed near the moon.  The little orange dot is the shuttle:

Erin and a couple of the kids from the neighborhood all watched it together in the back yard, and they were just as excited.  It's so neat that they get to experience this.