With a two-hour launch window opening at 7 p.m., the rocket launch may be visible in the eastern sky over the Carolinas.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A United Launch Alliance rocket launch on Monday evening could be visible in the Carolinas and along the Atlantic coast in the Southeast.
A two-hour launch window opens at 7 p.m. for the ULA Atlas V rocket carrying Project Kuiper, the first of Amazon’s satellite Internet technology expected to compete with Starlink. The rocket is intended to launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It will travel north and east as it climbs through the atmosphere.
With sunset at 8:07 p.m., the launch could be visible in the evening sky. The best viewing would happen around sunset. If the rocket launches right at the beginning of the launch window, it may still be visible but will be harder to see because the sun will still be up.
Rocket launches around sunset sometimes appear in the night sky, weather permitting. This is because immediately after sunset, the setting sun is still illuminating the sky above the ground. Combined with the dark contrast at the ground, the sun angle can light up objects during twilight.
Many conditions factor into whether or not a twilight launch is visible, including weather conditions, the rocket’s path, the spacecraft’s size, and the exact timing of the setting sun.
