12:57 a.m. • 2-12-12
RALEIGH — The Triangle got a neat surprise as the space shuttle Atlantis soared into orbit Wednesday night.
Remnants from the shuttle's exhaust were visible in the sky over the area. The cloud was so high in the atmosphere, the setting sun illuminated it in the night sky.
Atlantis lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., in a dazzling sunset launch just after 6 p.m. Wednesday. The shuttle is carrying a $1.4 billion laboratory module for the international space station.
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