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Switch to: Europe, USA, New Zealand, Antarctica
Credit: NOAA/Ovation
Planetary K-index
Now: Kp=
2.67 quiet
24-hr max: Kp= 4.33 unsettled
explanation | more
data
Interplanetary Mag. Field
Btotal: 8.60 nT
Bz: -4.94 nT south
more data: ACE, DSCOVR
Updated: Today at 0916 UT
Coronal Holes: 07 Oct 25
Solar wind flowing from this equatorial coronal hole should reach Earth on Oct. 11-12. Credit: NASA/SDO | more data
Polar Stratospheric Clouds
Colorful Type II polar stratospheric clouds (PSC) form when the temperature in the stratosphere drops to a staggeringly low -85C. NASA's MERRA-2 climate model predicts when the air up there is cold enough:
On Oct. 6, 2025, the Arctic stratosphere is too hot for polar stratospheric clouds. | more data.
SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts |
|
Updated at: 2025 Oct 06 2200 UTC
FLARE |
0-24
hr |
24-48
hr |
CLASS M |
40
% |
40
% |
CLASS X |
10
% |
10
% |
Geomagnetic Storms:
Probabilities for significant
disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor
storm, severe
storm
Updated at: 2025 Oct 06 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
|
0-24
hr |
24-48
hr |
ACTIVE |
40
% |
40
% |
MINOR |
30
% |
25
% |
SEVERE |
10
% |
05
% |
High latitudes
|
0-24
hr |
24-48
hr |
ACTIVE |
05
% |
10
% |
MINOR |
20
% |
20
% |
SEVERE |
75
% |
65
% |
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This is an AI Free Zone: Text created by Large Language Models is spreading across the Internet. It's well-written, but frequently inaccurate. If you find a mistake on Spaceweather.com, rest assured it was made by a real human being.
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NO, COMET 3I/ATLAS IS NOT A CYLINDER: If you see a headline claiming that interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS is a cylinder, don't believe it. Rumours started over the weekend when NASA released this Oct. 4th image of the comet as seen by Mars rover Perseverance. The comet looks like a stubby line (or cylinder) simply because the comet moved during the rover's NavCam exposure. It's a typical "star trail," not evidence of alien tech.
COMET LEMMON VS STARLINK: Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) is brightening rapidly in the morning sky.Warning: If you try to photograph it, you might find something you didn't want. This Oct. 6th animation from Italian astronomer Graziano Ventre, for example, is criss-crossed with streaks unrelated to the comet:
These are satellites crossing the field of view--members of a growing number of megaconstellations crowding low Earth orbit. Ventre's ~30 minute exposure caught dozens of satellites coming from every direction. A rising percentage of images submitted to Spaceweather.com show this kind of interference.
The vast majority are Starlinks. About 8000 of SpaceX's internet satellites are orbiting Earth now, with future plans calling for 42,000. Competitors are following close behind. Amazon’s Project Kuiper has begun launching its planned 3,200-satellite broadband fleet. China is pushing even harder, with two separate megaconstellations on the drawing board: Guowang (13,000 satellites) and "Qianfan" ("Thousand Sails", 15,000-plus), Together, they could eventually rival or surpass Starlink.
Ironically, *now* may be the best time to look at Comet Lemmon. Satellite totals will never be lower! Gliding past the Big Dipper, the comet is about as bright as a 6th magnitude star, an easy target for small telescopes. For most observers in the northern hemisphere, it is located well above the eastern horizon before sunrise. Sky maps: Oct. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
Realtime Comet Lemmon Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
REAL MONEY FROM SPACE: They're back by popular demand: NASA Spacewalker $1 Coins (D Mint). On Sept. 6, 2025, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched more rolls to the edge of space onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have a single coin for $49.95 or an entire unbroken roll for $299.95. No longer available from the US Mint, these rare coins flew 101,944 feet above the Sierra Nevada. One side shows an American astronaut conducting a spacewalk outside the International Space Station; the other side features the Statue of Liberty in profile.
In July, we flew the P Mints. If you purchased them, these D Mints will complete your set.
The students are selling space coins to support to support their cosmic ray research program. (Helium is expensive!) Each order comes with a greeting card showing the coins in flight and telling the story of their journey to the stratosphere and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Every night, a network
of NASA
all-sky cameras scans the skies above the United
States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software
maintained by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office
calculates their orbits, velocity, penetration depth
in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics.
Daily results are presented here on Spaceweather.com.
On Oct 06, 2025, the network reported 7 fireballs.
(5 sporadics, 2 Southern Taurids)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue).
[Larger image] [movies]
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids ( PHAs)
are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that
can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the
known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet,
although astronomers are finding new
ones all the time.
On October 7, 2025 there were 2349 potentially hazardous asteroids.
 |
Recent
& Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT) |
Miss Distance |
Velocity (km/s) |
Diameter (m) |
| 2025 SY |
2025-Oct-02 |
12.2 LD |
5.9 |
14 |
| 2025 TG |
2025-Oct-02 |
5.2 LD |
6.1 |
14 |
| 2025 TP1 |
2025-Oct-02 |
0.6 LD |
12.6 |
11 |
| 2025 SH |
2025-Oct-02 |
3.6 LD |
3.7 |
12 |
| 2025 TQ2 |
2025-Oct-02 |
0 LD |
14.7 |
3 |
| 2020 GE1 |
2025-Oct-02 |
13.7 LD |
4.7 |
14 |
| 2025 TC |
2025-Oct-03 |
0.2 LD |
16.1 |
14 |
| 2025 TS |
2025-Oct-03 |
1.7 LD |
9.1 |
12 |
| 2025 SV6 |
2025-Oct-03 |
4.7 LD |
5 |
13 |
| 2025 RH2 |
2025-Oct-03 |
19.6 LD |
5.1 |
37 |
| 2025 SE29 |
2025-Oct-03 |
12.4 LD |
8.6 |
106 |
| 2025 SZ27 |
2025-Oct-04 |
3.1 LD |
16.4 |
32 |
| 2025 SY10 |
2025-Oct-05 |
15.7 LD |
11.4 |
21 |
| 2025 TO |
2025-Oct-05 |
3.3 LD |
6.9 |
9 |
| 2025 SO27 |
2025-Oct-05 |
10.3 LD |
6.5 |
12 |
| 2025 SN21 |
2025-Oct-05 |
7.4 LD |
8.3 |
16 |
| 2018 SP1 |
2025-Oct-05 |
13.2 LD |
16.4 |
85 |
| 2025 TO2 |
2025-Oct-05 |
3.7 LD |
6.3 |
18 |
| 2025 TL |
2025-Oct-05 |
11.6 LD |
18 |
74 |
| 2025 SJ22 |
2025-Oct-05 |
11.2 LD |
8.4 |
29 |
| 2025 TC1 |
2025-Oct-06 |
11.1 LD |
5.7 |
15 |
| 2025 SC24 |
2025-Oct-06 |
11.8 LD |
13.3 |
30 |
| 2025 SH25 |
2025-Oct-06 |
9.3 LD |
12.8 |
15 |
| 2025 SM15 |
2025-Oct-07 |
8 LD |
10.3 |
12 |
| 2025 SJ29 |
2025-Oct-08 |
8.4 LD |
10.5 |
18 |
| 2022 TU1 |
2025-Oct-08 |
16.9 LD |
12.9 |
10 |
| 2020 QU5 |
2025-Oct-08 |
11.7 LD |
13.2 |
26 |
| 2025 TF1 |
2025-Oct-08 |
8.4 LD |
17.5 |
21 |
| 2025 TN2 |
2025-Oct-08 |
3.5 LD |
14 |
28 |
| 2025 SP23 |
2025-Oct-09 |
1.3 LD |
14.8 |
29 |
| 2025 SA21 |
2025-Oct-09 |
9.3 LD |
7.8 |
18 |
| 2025 SP15 |
2025-Oct-09 |
16.4 LD |
8 |
36 |
| 2025 SP29 |
2025-Oct-10 |
9.7 LD |
14.2 |
22 |
| 2025 SN29 |
2025-Oct-10 |
12.5 LD |
9 |
21 |
| 2025 TS2 |
2025-Oct-11 |
17.3 LD |
8.3 |
26 |
| 2025 TU1 |
2025-Oct-13 |
6 LD |
7.5 |
18 |
| 2025 TV2 |
2025-Oct-13 |
3.3 LD |
7.5 |
14 |
| 2025 SC29 |
2025-Oct-14 |
14.9 LD |
6.7 |
18 |
| 2022 AY5 |
2025-Oct-14 |
7.4 LD |
8.4 |
5 |
| 2022 UY3 |
2025-Oct-15 |
10.2 LD |
7.4 |
15 |
| 2025 SX26 |
2025-Oct-16 |
8.7 LD |
8.4 |
20 |
| 2025 SQ27 |
2025-Oct-16 |
15.2 LD |
7.5 |
17 |
| 2025 TR2 |
2025-Oct-17 |
12.8 LD |
16.4 |
57 |
| 2022 UU15 |
2025-Oct-19 |
14.8 LD |
16.1 |
34 |
| 2025 SD7 |
2025-Oct-21 |
9.9 LD |
12.5 |
54 |
| 2023 UK3 |
2025-Oct-21 |
6.7 LD |
9 |
5 |
| 2024 GD2 |
2025-Oct-22 |
17.8 LD |
4.2 |
28 |
| 2022 HM1 |
2025-Oct-23 |
15.1 LD |
13.3 |
27 |
| 2025 TX2 |
2025-Oct-24 |
6.4 LD |
6.9 |
26 |
| 2012 TP231 |
2025-Oct-25 |
15.2 LD |
6.7 |
37 |
| 2020 FA5 |
2025-Oct-26 |
15.7 LD |
26.5 |
210 |
| 2009 HC |
2025-Oct-26 |
8.6 LD |
4.2 |
39 |
| 434196 |
2025-Oct-27 |
17.4 LD |
10.9 |
171 |
| 2023 VK6 |
2025-Nov-03 |
7.6 LD |
9.6 |
15 |
| 2021 VQ10 |
2025-Nov-08 |
9 LD |
15 |
13 |
| 2019 UH7 |
2025-Nov-08 |
13.3 LD |
5.8 |
11 |
| 2018 KC |
2025-Nov-09 |
16 LD |
9.3 |
11 |
| 2017 WG14 |
2025-Nov-09 |
16.7 LD |
11.7 |
45 |
| 2020 VK4 |
2025-Nov-10 |
16.4 LD |
3.8 |
9 |
| 2012 VC26 |
2025-Nov-11 |
13.3 LD |
6.4 |
6 |
| 2019 VL5 |
2025-Nov-14 |
14.7 LD |
9.1 |
24 |
| 2022 FG4 |
2025-Nov-17 |
18.7 LD |
22.2 |
105 |
| 3361 |
2025-Nov-19 |
14.8 LD |
9.1 |
435 |
| 2013 NJ4 |
2025-Nov-20 |
12.6 LD |
6.4 |
12 |
| 2021 WR |
2025-Nov-22 |
19.3 LD |
10 |
31 |
| 516155 |
2025-Nov-24 |
12.5 LD |
16.7 |
338 |
| 2020 WM |
2025-Nov-24 |
17.4 LD |
11.8 |
36 |
| 2019 UT6 |
2025-Nov-25 |
6.2 LD |
12.6 |
147 |
| 2018 WG2 |
2025-Nov-27 |
13.5 LD |
7.5 |
3 |
| 2007 VM184 |
2025-Dec-01 |
13.1 LD |
20 |
224 |
| 2018 WC2 |
2025-Dec-03 |
9.8 LD |
8.9 |
36 |
Notes: LD means
"Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance
between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256
AU.
| |
Cosmic Rays in the Atmosphere |
SPACE WEATHER BALLOON DATA: Almost once a week, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus fly space weather balloons to the stratosphere over California. These balloons are equipped with sensors that detect secondary cosmic rays, a form of radiation from space that can penetrate all the way down to Earth's surface. Our monitoring program has been underway without interruption for 10 years, resulting in a unique dataset of in situ atmospheric measurements.
Latest results (Nov. 2024): Atmospheric radiation is sharply decreasing in 2024. Our latest measurements in November registered a 10-year low:
What's going on? Ironically, the radiation drop is caused by increasing solar activity. Solar Cycle 25 has roared to life faster than forecasters expected. The sun's strengthening and increasingly tangled magnetic field repels cosmic rays from deep space. In addition, solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) sweep aside cosmic rays, causing sharp reductions called "Forbush Decreases." The two effects blend together to bring daily radiation levels down.
.Who cares? Cosmic rays are a surprisingly "down to Earth" form of space weather. They can alter the chemistry of the atmosphere, trigger lightning, and penetrate commercial airplanes. According to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan school of public health, crews of aircraft have higher rates of cancer than the general population. The researchers listed cosmic rays, irregular sleep habits, and chemical contaminants as leading risk factors. A number of controversial studies (#1, #2, #3, #4) go even further, linking cosmic rays with cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.
Technical notes: The radiation sensors onboard our helium balloons detect X-rays and gamma-rays in the energy range 10 keV to 20 MeV. These energies span the range of medical X-ray machines and airport security scanners.
Data points in the graph labeled "Stratospheric Radiation" correspond to the peak of the Regener-Pfotzer maximum, which lies about 67,000 feet above central California. When cosmic rays crash into Earth's atmosphere, they produce a spray of secondary particles that is most intense at the entrance to the stratosphere. Physicists Eric Regener and Georg Pfotzer discovered the maximum using balloons in the 1930s and it is what we are measuring today.
| |
The
official U.S. government space weather bureau |
| |
The
first place to look for information about sundogs,
pillars, rainbows and related phenomena. |
| |
Researchers
call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO
is the most advanced solar observatory ever. |
| |
3D
views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial
Relations Observatory |
| |
Realtime
and archival images of the Sun from SOHO. |
| |
information about sunspots based on the latest NOAA/USAF Active Region Summary |
| |
current counts of failed and deployed Starlink satellites from Jonathan's Space Page. See also, all satellite statistics. |
| |
Authoritative predictions of space junk and satellite re-entries |
| |
from
the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| |
fun to read, but should be taken with a grain of salt! Forecasts looking ahead more than a few days are often wrong. |
| |
from the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| |
the
underlying science of space weather |
 |
Got a chipped or cracked windshield that prevents you from seeing space weather events while driving? Get windshield replacement from SR Windows & Glass with free mobile auto glass service anywhere in the Phoenix area. |
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©2021 Spaceweather.com. All rights reserved. This site is penned daily by Dr. Tony Phillips. |
