"The Rockets Red Glare"

Photos courtesy of my friend Curtis.

So, the glare wasn't red, it was white, but it was still quite spectacular. I learned from the Griffith Observatory Sky Report that there was a missle launch scheduled from Vandenberg Air Force Base at dusk, the perfect time to watch. I informed my family and friends that I thought would be interested.

The launch of the Minotaur was quite impressive. I was expecting to only see the contail of the booster rocket, as shown in the bottom photo, but we could clearly see the rocket's path across the sky, including the stage separation and the ignition of the next stage.

The rocket was carrying a satellite for DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. They are the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense.

Besides getting to watch this launch, I learned that there is a group of people that make this a hobby. There are websites and newsgroups dedicated to viewing missle launches. Check out Viewing Vandenberg AFB Launches.

And a special thanks to Curtis and his son for the photos of last night's show.