If you are an early riser, you may want to take a look outside towards the southeast to eastern sky Tuesday morning, about a fist-width held at arm’s length above the horizon.
Why? Because you may have the chance of witnessing the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket heading up in the sky and possibly creating a visual spectacle after its scheduled 6:33 a.m. launch for the Dragon’s 35th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-35) mission to the International Space Station.
If the rocket launches from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on time, it will rise higher in the sky while the East Coast remains in darkness. This makes conditions excellent to see the brilliant rocket exhaust plume.
The Leander McCormick Observatory said the plume is often described as a “jellyfish” in the sky.
“Go outside about 6:25 a.m. to let your eyes get adapted to the dark, and face east. If it launches on time at 6:33 a.m., you should first see the spacecraft low in the southeast about 6:38 a.m. (it will look like a star moving right to left). As it climbs to orbit, the exhaust from the second stage will be illuminated by the Sun producing a beautiful tail. You should be able to see the second stage cutoff about 6:42 a.m.,” The observatory stated in a post on Facebook.
Once the launch has happened, start looking for the rocket with its exhaust plume, using binoculars if available.
Depending on the viewing location, it could take about three to five minutes for the rocket to rise high enough in the sky to be seen.
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You can watch the launch starting at 6:33 a.m. live on SpaceX.
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