Showing Live Tonight: A Spectacular Minotaur Rocket Blast Over Virginia

Most rocket launches take place during the daylight hours, but not tonight’s flight of the Minotaur V.

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.

Here's NASA's live feed of the launch.

The weather forecast for Vienna calls for mostly 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, which will gather samples from the moon's atmosphere, will be operated by a Virginia corporation, Orbital Sciences of Dulles.