Sunrise *behind* Enterprise after launch in ST1

[xvicente]

Am I the only one who is bothered by that scene (since 1980)?

Isn't widely known that the apparent movement of the sun in the sky is caused by Earth's rotation?

If the Enterprise is moving forward in its orbit (together with the camera, looking back) then what should be seen is a sunset, no?

You know, this shot:

 

[F. King Daniel]

That's it; Star Trek is ruined.


*leaves forever*

 

[Robert Comsol]

If the Enterprise is moving forward in its orbit (together with the camera, looking back) then what should be seen is a sunset, no?

Assuming the Enterprise and the camera are stuck in a geostationary orbit the "counter-clockwise" rotation of Earth would eventually reveal a sunrise, IMHO.

Bob

 

[wjaspers]

Exactly, the Earth rotates around the sun, so a Sunrise will appear.

 

[Hober Mallow]

That's funny. I never noticed that before. It's still a good-looking shot, though. I guess our perspective is skewed and the Enterprise is actually orbiting Earth backwards.

 

[trevanian]

I never thought the ship was orbiting, it is in a hurry to get out there, I thought it was 'outbound' heading away from Earth (which is a little smaller in frame than in earlier shots, I think, though that could be subject to using a different longer/shorter lens, I guess) ...

So as it gains 'height' headed away from Earth, it is moving 'up' relative to the sun as well.

 

[Avro Arrow]

All I know is that now I want that second shot as my computer wallpaper...

 

[xvicente]

All I know is that now I want that second shot as my computer wallpaper...

help yourself :
http://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=584&page=2

 

[xvicente]

I guess our perspective is skewed and the Enterprise is actually orbiting Earth backwards.

You know I had the exact same idea. Not very Star-Trek-y, though.

 

[Captain Mike]

The Enterprise was NOT in geosynchronous orbit that is a shot of it leaving Earths orbit which eventually depending on the suns position would then break Earth's horizon.

 

[Therin of Andor]

And doesn't the camera keep rising up, so the the sun is definitely going to become visible.

IIRC, people used to quibble about the inconsistent shadows on the planets and moons as Enterprise departed the solar system.

 

[T'Girl]

... the Enterprise is actually orbiting Earth backwards.

That's the most likely answer.

The Enterprise in it's "dry dock" was above the city of San Fransisco, you could make out geographic features on the ground. The Enterprise's starboard side was facing the ground and the dorsal direction was north.

At theis point the ship is in fact orbiting backwards.

Given the apparent size of the Earth, the ship, dry dock and space station are not in geo orbit.

When the ship left dry dock it actually did so by slowing it orbital speed, but was still moving ass end first. The dry dock now preceeding it in orbit.

The sun rising as it does is completely acurate.

 

[sonak]

science confuses me

 

[xvicente]

When the ship left dry dock it actually did so by slowing it orbital speed, but was still moving ass end first. The dry dock now preceeding it in orbit.

So it was not the Enterprise that departed the drydock, it was the drydock that departed the Enterprise?

The sun rising as it does is completely acurate.

completely.

 

[T'Girl]

So it was not the Enterprise that departed the drydock, it was the drydock that departed the Enterprise?

In a way.

 

[Chuck4]

... the Enterprise is actually orbiting Earth backwards.

That's the most likely answer.

The Enterprise in it's "dry dock" was above the city of San Fransisco, you could make out geographic features on the ground. The Enterprise's starboard side was facing the ground and the dorsal direction was north.

At theis point the ship is in fact orbiting backwards.

Given the apparent size of the Earth, the ship, dry dock and space station are not in geo orbit.

When the ship left dry dock it actually did so by slowing it orbital speed, but was still moving ass end first. The dry dock now fpreceeding it in orbit.

The sun rising as it does is completely acurate.

Whether the enterprise is moving ass end first in relation to the earth as it departs space dock depends on whether the dock and the ship is in a prograde or retrograde orbit. If the dock was in a prograde orbit, then the scene is plausible as the camera and the ship is racing eastwards and outrunning the earth's day-night terminator line, and is in effect hurrying into the sun rise, the only point being the ship is racing backwards towards the terminator slightly slower than the camera and so appears to be moving slowly forwards towards the camera.
If everything had been in a retrograde orbit,ie moving west, then enterprise is indeed racing front end first. In this case the scene is impossible as enterprise must be below geosynchronous orbit and running west at a higher speed than the day night terminator.

 

[scotpens]

When the ship left dry dock it actually did so by slowing it orbital speed, but was still moving ass end first.

Does it make that "beep-beep-beep" sound?

 

[The Old Mixer]

^No, they didn't have time to run by Talos IV and pick up Pike.

 

[Avro Arrow]

When the ship left dry dock it actually did so by slowing it orbital speed, but was still moving ass end first.

Does it make that "beep-beep-beep" sound?

In space, no one can hear you beep...

 

[T'Girl]

Whether the enterprise is moving ass end first in relation to the earth as it departs space dock depends on whether the dock and the ship is in a prograde or retrograde orbit.

It's in neither, the Enterprise, the drydock and the station (I'm calling "the group") are geostationary above the city of San Francisco. Nor is the group in a geosynchronous orbit, from geosynchronous orbit the Earth is only 17.3 degrees wide, that like a 22 inch circle seen from 6 feet away. Checkout the pictures in the OP, the Enterprise (and earlier the group) are only a few hundred miles up.