Blast Off

Space Shuttle Discovery launches tonight from Cape Canaveral-- and if the sky clears, even New Yorkers are supposed to be able to spot it. The Hayden Planetarium blog instructs viewers in the Mid-Atlantic to "concentrate your gaze low toward the south or south-southeast about 6 to 8 minutes after launch. Of course, as the shuttle gets closer, its azimuth very quickly swings over to the southeast, where in most cases, the point of maximum altitude occurs. I suspect most people will be scanning the horizon from south-southeast in the final couple of minutes of powered ascent . . . if so, you shouldn't miss out on sighting Discovery." The launch is set for 9:20pm EST, so if the sky is clear I will most definitely be on my roof hoping to catch a climpse!

**UPDATE: The launch has been cancelled or possibly postponed due to a fuel tank leak, and may be rescheduled for tomorrow. We'll see!