There was yet another twilight launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Flight Base on Saturday evening. These launches can be magnificent to watch as the expanding gases from the rocket exhaust are illuminated by the sun–already well below the horizon. It lights up bright at first then slowly dims as the exhaust thins and spreads across the sky and the sun drops lower. The clouds can be colorful much like noctilucent clouds (“night shining clouds”).

And here are two time-lapse sequences of the rocket and the noctilucent clouds.

Time lapse of the SpaceX Falcon 9 accelerating across the western sky.

Time lapse of the expanding noctilucent cloud in the western sky.

The cadence of launches is increasing and we will see many more of these in the weeks and months. Hopefully, some of them will be during twilight.

Bonus: while watching we saw a fireball cross the sky from low in the east, moving overhead, then finally ending in the west. It was so bright that you almost felt that you could reach out and grab it. Wow!

Edit: fixed typos.