Stargazers on the East Coast of the US will get a special spectral treat today as NASA prepares its sixth attempt at a rocket launch. Later today, the space agency will create artificial, colourful clouds as a way to study auroras and the ionosphere.
Image: NASA
According to NASA, the most recent attempt on June 11 was scrapped due to “boats in the launch range hazard area”. This time, the launch will occur between 11:04 and 11:19AM AEST (9:04 and 9:19PM EDT) — folks from New York to North Carolina should be able to see some red and blue clouds.
“Canisters will deploy between 4 and 5.5 minutes after launch releasing blue-green and red vapour to form artificial clouds,” NASA said in a statement. “These clouds, or vapour tracers, allow scientists on the ground to visually track particle motions in space.”
Those in Australia and/or locked in a dungeon can check out the live stream here, beginning at around 10:30AM AEST. Hopefully it won’t get cancelled — again.
[NASA]