Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo As the plume sits against a dark sky, it’s illuminated by sunlight, creating a colorful effect sometimes showing rose, blue, green and other colors — and some of the best views occurring hundreds of miles from the launch site. Sign Up for the A.M. Report Keep up with Noozhawk's daily news coverage, delivered at 4:15 a.m. right to your inbox. Sign up This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. When launches were much more infrequent, viewers often mistakenly believed the effect stemmed from a failure, but military officials issued denials and explained the twilight phenomenon. On Monday night, conditions meant viewers could watch the rocket’s ascent for more than six minutes, capturing the first-stage booster and two fairing halves as they fell away once their chores were done. Winds disperse the contrail into the shape of a heart following a Falcon 9 rocket launch Monday night from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Credit: