Showing Tonight: A Spectacular Minotaur Rocket Blast Over Chantilly

NASA's return trip to the moon’s atmosphere comes well after dark, and because the Minotaur V rocket is set to be launched from NASA's Wallops Island facility on Virginia's coast, you should be able to see it from your yard.

The weather forecast for Chantilly calls for clear skies.

The launch window is from 11:27 p.m. to 11:31 p.m.

If you’re going to try to see it, you’ll be interested in what NASA has to say:

"As a reference, when you look at your fist with your arm fully outstretched, it spans approximately 10 degrees. Thus, if you are in Washington, DC, the highest point the Minotaur V will reach is approximately 13 degrees above the horizon, or just slightly more than a fist's width."

The rocket will be operated by a Virginia corporation, Orbital Sciences of Dulles.