NASA rocket launch could create an artificial aurora. Here's how to watch.
UPDATE: June 13, 2017, 9:21 a.m. EDT NASA postponed the June 12 rocket launch, for the sixth time, due to cloud interference. The launch has been rescheduled for Tuesday, June 13, with a launch window from 9:04 to 9:19 p.m. EDT.
Original story:
NASA will fill the skies with colorful, glowing clouds on Monday night as part of a rocket test.
Skywatchers on the mid-Atlantic coast can watch the artificial aurora with their own eyes, while everyone else can catch it via livestream -- that is, so long as the conditions cooperate. Previous attempts were called off in recent weeks due to high winds, clouds, and boats in the hazard area.
Monday's launch is slated to occur between 9:04 p.m. to 9:19 p.m. ET at the Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's eastern shore.
The luminescent bursts are key to NASA's testing of a new "ampoule ejection" system, which will support scientific studies of the ionosphere and aurora.
Shortly after launching a sounding rocket, NASA will deploy ten canisters -- each the size of a soda can -- that will release blue-green and red chemicals known as "vapor tracers."
The vapors will help scientists on the ground to visually track particle motions in space, NASA explained on its website. The fake aurora won't pose any hazard to residents on the mid-Atlantic coastline, the agency said.
NASA will station ground cameras at Wallops and in Duck, North Carolina, to view the vapors. Clear skies are required at one of the two stations for this test to be successful.
The colorful clouds may be visible from New York to North Carolina, and westward to Charlottesville, Virginia.
Or, if you're beyond the visibility zone, you can watch live coverage on the Wallops Ustream site or follow updates from its Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Maria Gallucci was a Science Reporter at Mashable. She was previously the energy and environment reporter at International Business Times; features editor of Makeshift magazine; clean economy reporter for InsideClimate News; and a correspondent in Mexico City until 2011. Maria holds degrees in journalism and Spanish from Ohio University's Honors Tutorial College.
