NASA Rocket Launches Visible In PA Skies Monday: What To Know

Multiple NASA rockets will soar into the atmosphere on Monday night and may be visible throughout the greater Philadelphia region, the space agency said.

The rockets will launch from the Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island in Virginia between 10 p.m. Monday and 3 a.m. Tuesday, NASA said.

All of southeastern Pennsylvania will be able to see the launch vehicle of the rockets between 10 and 30 seconds after takeoff, according to estimates released by NASA.

"It is the coldest layer of our atmosphere, where icy noctilucent — or 'night-shining' — clouds form and temperatures drop to nearly minus 148 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 100 degrees Celsius)," NASA said. "The mesopause is a mixing ground where weather patterns from the lower atmosphere transfer energy upward into space, fueling turbulence that can increase drag on satellites. This layer’s role linking Earth to space makes it a priority for research."

Because of it's chaotic location at the edge of outer space, the mesopause is too high for weather balloons but also too low for satellites, meaning that only these specially designed rockets that are targeted at exact altitudes have a chance to gather data.

The project is led by University of New Hampshire physics professor Jim Clemmons.

The launches are weather-dependent, of course, but viewing conditions look ideal in the Philly area if everything goes off as planned. Monday night should see clear skies in most of southeastern Pennsylvania, according to the National Weather Service, with an overnight low temperature of 62.