Rotational wave-packet imaging spectroscopy of the ethylene dimer

•Time-domain rotational spectroscopy of (C2H4)2 was conducted by implementing time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging.•A molecular movie of rotational wave packets of the dimer has been captured with a delay time of up to 11 ns.•Rotational spectrum is obtained with frequency resolution of ∼ 120 MHz by Fourier transformation of the time trace of the alignment parameter.•Rotational and centrifugal distortion constants are determined with much improved precision than the previous infrared studies.