Rocket launch could be visible over New Jersey on Saturday night
A rocket scheduled for launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia early Saturday evening could be visible in the skies over New Jersey.
What rocket is being launched?
A four-stage Black Brant XII rocket is scheduled to be launched at 8:02 p.m., just after sunset, with a launch window of 40 minutes. The launch was originally scheduled for Friday but was scrubbed due to weather.
Where can I see the rocket?
It could be visible over much of the eastern United States.
What you'll see will be the release of barium vapor 9 or 10 minutes into the launch forming two green-violet clouds that may be visible for about 10 seconds in far South Jersey, 10-30 seconds in Central Jersey and 30-60 second north of Route 80.
New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said the rain will have ended by launch time ands but there could be some cloud cover.
"I'm not sure it'll be clear enough yet for a perfect view of the launch," Zarrow said.
Rocket emissions cause weird colors
Immediately after the vapor is released, spherical clouds will form which are a mixture of green and violet and last about 30 seconds. After exposure to sunlight the vapor clouds quickly ionize and take on a violet color.
The barium vapor is not harmful to the environment or public health.
Livestream video of rocket launch
Live coverage of the mission will be available on the Wallops IBM video site (beginning at 7:40 p.m.
Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ