Antares Rocket Launch May Be Visible to NC Viewers Today!

The Antares Rocket launch from Wallops Island, Virginia should be visible from the Outer Banks of NC today, Sunday July 13, 2014 at 12:52 p.m. On top of the Antares rocket sits the Cygnus spacecraft filled with supplies and headed to the International Space Station (ISS). If weather conditions are just right the launch may be visible all along the East Coast of the United States. Viewers in Central North Carolina as well as the coastal areas of NC  may be able to see the  launch. It may take about 2 minutes after launch for NC viewers to see anything due to the curvature of the earth. Three minutes and 53 seconds after launch, the first stage burns out and the Antares rocket will reach its highest point from our vantage point in central North Carolina.The path is low on the horizon so be looking at about 10º or about the width of your outstretched fist on the horizon. For viewer at the NC coast the rocket will reach 20º above the horizon. Go to an open or unobstructed view of the northeast horizon for a chance to see the launch today! Don’t forget today at 12:52 pm!!!