For Apollo 11's moon landing anniversary, the Washington Monument was made to look like a rocket | CNN

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CNN —

The Washington Monument just got even more iconic.

On Tuesday, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch, the 555-foot national symbol lit up with an image of the moon-bound shuttle blasting into space.

The 363-foot projection of the Saturn V rocket will appear for two hours every night during the anniversary of the mission that put the first two humans – both Americans – on the moon.

On Friday and Saturday, the celebration of this historical milestone will culminate in a 17-minute light show taking viewers back to July 16, 1969 when Apollo 11 made its giant leap for mankind from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.

And yes, that is a 40-foot-wide re-creation of the famous Kennedy Space Center countdown clock at the monument’s base.

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The illuminating display was launched (so to speak) by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and the US Department of the Interior.

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Beyond Earth

For Apollo 11’s moon landing anniversary, the Washington Monument was made to look like a rocket