An anonymous reader quotes CNET:
The early morning hours on the U.S. East Coast might be unusually colorful as NASA plans to produce artificial blue-green and red clouds that may be visible from New York to North Carolina… It’s a test of a new system that helps scientists study the auroras and ionosphere. A NASA sounding rocket (a small, sub-orbital rocket often used in research) will launch from Wallops Flight Facility off the coast of Virginia and release several soda-sized canisters of vapor tracers in the upper atmosphere that may appear as colorful clouds. The tracers use vapors made up of lithium, barium and tri-methyl aluminum that react with other elements in the atmosphere to glow, letting researchers visually track the flows of ionized and neutral particles. It’s a bit like being able to dye the wind or ocean currents to be able to get a visual picture.
CNN adds that “If you’re near the eastern U.S. coast, look toward the eastern horizon beginning about 4:30 a.m. The farther you are from the launch location, the lower the clouds will appear on the horizon.” Basically, try to adjust your gaze towards Virginia’s eastern shore — and if you’re not on the east coast, NASA is livestreaming the launch and posting updates on Facebook and Twitter.
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