There’s a possibility that viewers in the southwest US and northern Mexico will see a Minuteman launch lit by sunlight this evening (if the marine layer clears–Southern California residents may have to get away from the beach). If so, it usually makes for a spectacular sight.

The launch window opens at 7 PM PDT. If it’s delayed more than twenty minutes, it will still go (the window stays open until 10 PM) but it will be in the dark. Still worth watching, but not as beautiful.

[Update at 8:37 PM PDT]

Doug Jones from XCOR, up in the desert, in Mojave (where they weren’t socked in by the marine layer) reports:

We had a splendid view from Mojave, looking into a darkening sky after sunset. Great “frozen lightning” and the high-altitude expansion of
the plume grew to about 20 degrees across the sky. Too bad our professional photographer wasn’t on hand.

There’s still a faint fluorescing green patch remaining. World War III would be beautiful…

Only if it occurred at sunset or sunrise…