Posted on 03/04/2021 4:30:24 PM PST by BenLurkin
NASA says the puffy phenomenon developed after “a three-stage suborbital sounding rocket” was launched Wednesday from the Wallops Flight Facility on the Virginia coast.
NASA tweeted photos of two different “clouds” generated by the rocket: One was the widely seen red/pink “puff” and the other was something akin to a ragged looking white rainbow.
The puffy version became known as “the red cloud” and “cotton candy cloud” on social media, as inquiries spread Wednesday night. Sightings were reported around 6:30 p.m. from Pennsylvania to as far south as Puerto Rico, where tweets said an investigation was in progress.
NASA warned Monday that oddities might appear in the sky due to a small vapor release associated with the launch. The vapor was not hazardous, officials said.
“Colorful clouds may be visible over the ocean to residents in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States as the Sun illuminates the vapor before it diffuses harmlessly into space,” NASA said in a release issued before the launch.
The rocket is part of an ionization study being conducted “just beyond the reaches of Earth’s atmosphere,” NASA said. The vapor release came as the rocket released its payload “after flying to an altitude of several hundred miles and about 500 miles off-shore.”
(Excerpt) Read more at newsobserver.com ...
Sorry about that. I have gas today.
Bill Gate. Sun.
You know it.
Trying to make Earth more like Mars?
Or more like Jupiter? Our own red spot?
Nothing to see here. Move along.
We saw this last night. Nice to have an explanation. As stargazers, we couldn’t figure out why it was there.
I remember learning about Red Cloud in school. Back when they actually taught History.
Was it in the morning? Or at night?
Sailors have a saying about that.
It is either swamp gas or a weather balloon.
I remember a red cloud at Vandenberg after a rocket launch. It was a Titan III blowing up.
Yeah, I know the feeling. Broccoli does that to me. Maybe NASA can help me with that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.