NASA Wallops Island Rocket Launch Will Make Clouds Glow

Ever want to catch a glimpse of a rocket in person? You may have a chance tonight.

A rocket launch scheduled to blast off from NASA's Wallops Island facility in Virginia is set to put on a colorful show that could be visible from Long Island, New York, some 235 north of the launch site and all the way to Morehead City, North Carolina at 232 miles south.

The purpose of this suborbital flight is to test new spacecraft technologies. What makes this launch so special will come six minutes after liftoff when the rocket will eject four payloads of barium and strontium, which give off blue, green and red colors that could provide a fun spectacle in the sky.

Residents from Long Island, New York, 235 miles north of the launch site, to Morehead City, North Carolina, 232 miles south, 165 miles west in Charlottesville, Virginia -- and everyone in between -- could get a glimpse of the colorful evening launch, which has a window between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET.