How bright is a shuttle night launch

[Wulfmann]

Below is an unretouched shot (reduced in file size considerably)from fifty miles away from the shuttle that just lifted off.
I have seen these all my life and worked three launches at KSC in 1994 but a black sky launch says much about the power of a shuttle going up.
The house in the foreground is my roof and the lens is a noraml perspective or what I saw with my eyes.
It is not meant to be spectacular as it is not but it is about 50 miles with the naked eye's view.

Wulfmann

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y152/Wulfmann/launch.jpg

[fredbass]

On a good clear night, a night launch can easily be seen on the west coast of Florida for quite a few minutes. I'm just north of Tampa.

[Cpt. Stewker]

Awesome pic man, I'll definitly load up some of mine that I got. I watched it from Daytona Beach. 45-50 miles north of the cape.

[TteFAboB]

Well, that will give us about 500 UFO sighting reports from the less aware folks.

By the way, there's an UFO in your picture, that common-light-effect phenomenon near the top, right in the middle of the dark night background.

[MobyGrape]

Yep Bright I saw it from west coast in Venice Fl when I uded to live there.

[Cpt. Stewker]

Alright my brother, who begged me to be the one to take pictues and promised me he would do a good job, seriously maybe is the worst photographer in all the world. Here's the best I coul find out of what he took. It doesn't give the scene the justice it deserves.

Place: This is from Daytona Beach.
Time: Approx. 8:50pm ET
Facing: South
Distance from launch: 50 miles / 80 kilometers
http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/9332/blurryshuttlesmalluf6.jpg