NASA launched a sounding rocket from its Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 4:25 a.m. on June 29th. It produced a
colorful display of "space clouds" during its 8-minute flight. More than 100 miles above Earth's surface the rocket deployed ten canisters about the size of soft drink cans. The canisters dispensed barium, strontium and cupric-oxide, which interacted to form blue-green and red vapors. They were visible from New York to North Carolina.
Christopher Becke captured this image from Williamsburg, Virginia. There is blurriness in the clouds and lines that look like rain, but are star trails. This is an effect of a long camera exposure.
NASA said that the chemicals "pose[d] no hazard to residents along the mid-Atlantic coast." Such clouds allow scientists on the ground to visually track particle motions at the edge of space, giving them new insights into the dynamics of Earth's ionosphere.
Credit: report from SpaceWeather.com