Has anyone access to any similar pictures of previous shuttle re entries? These could make it easier to judge what is a genuine anomaly and what is an artifact of the photograph.
You might try this link:
STS96
Which raises an interesting question: is the Starfire's image IR ? If so there should be some sort significant temperature gradations visible ?
If the Starfire's telescope is IR and caught the shuttle exposing previously unheated material, we would see
a different shade of black/gray or bright white/lesser white.
BTW: another picture worth mentioning (I guess):
Average ascent picture
--alex