This is a single, 483 second exposure of the Falcon9 CRS9 rocket, launched at 12:45a on July 18, 2016 from CCAFS.

This photo was chosen as NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) for July 21, 2016. View it here.

Shots from the pad during the launch of the SpaceX Falcon9 CRS9 mission to resupply the International Space Station.

Shots from the pad during the launch of the SpaceX Falcon9 CRS9 mission to resupply the International Space Station.

The CRS9 rocket, seen here about 6 hours before launch (and landing!). Notice the people at the bootom of the rocket (for scale) and also you'll see that a water feature (sound supression, most likely) is being tested near the base of the rockets and the engines.