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CONTINUED CHANCE OF STORMS: Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible for the next three days (May 17-19) as Earth passes through a stream of fast-moving solar wind. Storm levels could increase to category G2 (Moderate) on May 18th when a CME is expected to graze Earth's magnetic field. A nearly-New Moon will provide dark skies for high-latitude auroras. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.

HUGE FARSIDE SUNSPOT: One of the biggest sunspots in years is crossing the farside of the sun. Europe's Solar Orbiter photographed the behemoth on May 17th:

Located in the sun's southern hemisphere, the sunspot is crackling with strong solar flares. X-ray sensors onboard Solar Orbiter have detected two X1-class flares and almost a dozen M-class flares on May 15-17. Earth-based coronagraphs have also detected multiple CMEs emerging from the farside, making this a very active region.

The giant sunspot is also visible from Mars. During a survey of atmospheric dust on May 16th the Perseverance rover saw *two* large active regions:

One of these is clearly the V-shaped region Solar Orbiter is tracking, with a second large sunspot just now entering Solar Orbiter's field of view.

The bigger of these sunspots will turn toward Earth in 5 or 6 days, putting our planet in the strike zone for future activity. Stay tuned for updates from Solar Orbiter and Mars. Solar Flare alerts: SMS Text.

Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter

THIS IS *REAL* MONEY FROM SPACE: The US Mint just released a new $1 coin to honor one of America's greatest innovators: Steve Jobs. On May 14, 2026, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched the coins to the stratosphere 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 111,113 feet above the Sierra Nevada. One side shows Steve Jobs in a meditative pose; the other side features the Statue of Liberty in profile. The coin is inscribed with the words "MAKE SOMETHING WONDERFUL."

Bonus: If you need to, you can spend these coins. They're legal tender.

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 Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter

On May 16, 2026, the network reported 11 fireballs.
(10 sporadics, 1 eta Aquariids)

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]

Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:

Asteroid	Date(UT)	Miss Distance	Velocity (km/s)	Diameter (m)
2026 JG2	2026-May-12	3.3 LD	7.6	14
2026 JU2	2026-May-12	5.7 LD	16.6	25
2026 JR	2026-May-12	7.9 LD	7.4	10
2026 JJ2	2026-May-12	7.9 LD	7.1	15
2026 JJ3	2026-May-12	9.4 LD	3	14
2026 JA1	2026-May-13	2.5 LD	12.6	13
2026 JX3	2026-May-13	0.3 LD	6.4	3
2026 JX2	2026-May-13	0.7 LD	13.8	7
2026 JF5	2026-May-14	0.3 LD	8.9	2
2026 JT	2026-May-14	17.1 LD	9.7	19
2026 JV1	2026-May-14	7 LD	9.4	24
2026 JR4	2026-May-14	4.6 LD	7	9
2026 JV3	2026-May-14	0.1 LD	12.7	3
2026 JH1	2026-May-15	15.5 LD	13.4	30
2026 JQ3	2026-May-15	2.2 LD	7.8	13
2026 JN4	2026-May-15	0 LD	23.1	1
2026 JK2	2026-May-15	1.2 LD	20.5	26
2026 JO4	2026-May-15	11.6 LD	15.5	22
2026 KG	2026-May-15	2.8 LD	7.1	6
2026 JU	2026-May-16	5.2 LD	8.4	23
2026 JF4	2026-May-16	4.1 LD	9.8	8
2023 VR5	2026-May-16	7.5 LD	2.3	10
2026 KD	2026-May-17	0.3 LD	12.2	6
2026 JY2	2026-May-17	8.3 LD	13.8	19
2026 JB4	2026-May-17	9.5 LD	6.7	14
2026 KA	2026-May-17	1.3 LD	15.6	19
2026 HC5	2026-May-17	7.1 LD	6.7	22
2025 KR4	2026-May-18	15.2 LD	5.9	22
2026 JP3	2026-May-18	17.7 LD	16.5	39
2026 KB	2026-May-18	0.6 LD	9.6	13
2026 JH2	2026-May-18	0.2 LD	9.1	19
2026 KC	2026-May-19	3.5 LD	8.4	13
2026 JP1	2026-May-20	17.7 LD	15.4	57
2026 JD3	2026-May-21	6.9 LD	7.7	12
2026 JD4	2026-May-21	4.3 LD	24.1	34
2026 JG1	2026-May-21	13.4 LD	14.6	35
2026 JA4	2026-May-21	7.6 LD	7.8	12
2026 KF	2026-May-22	1.7 LD	14.1	22
2026 JE1	2026-May-22	2.9 LD	4.7	12
2026 JC4	2026-May-22	14.9 LD	21.3	47
2026 JM	2026-May-23	5.2 LD	7.8	24
2023 KH4	2026-May-24	5.5 LD	7.9	14
2023 KZ1	2026-May-24	9 LD	13.4	20
2026 JW3	2026-May-25	13.2 LD	14.8	63
2026 JJ	2026-May-27	18.8 LD	4.8	24
2026 HW2	2026-May-29	17.7 LD	12.5	123
2023 BM4	2026-May-30	12.2 LD	5.7	64
2026 JN	2026-Jun-01	16 LD	7.8	50
2021 KN2	2026-Jun-03	8.9 LD	8.9	7
2018 GE	2026-Jun-07	16.4 LD	3.1	11
2016 VS	2026-Jun-12	20 LD	11.1	12
530520	2026-Jun-12	16.1 LD	14.6	152
2003 LN6	2026-Jun-18	3.7 LD	3.9	41
2025 WC4	2026-Jun-21	10.2 LD	19.2	304
2015 LM24	2026-Jun-22	18.2 LD	13.8	71
152637	2026-Jun-27	6.7 LD	8.9	947
523808	2026-Jul-04	9.1 LD	16.8	479
2023 YO1	2026-Jul-05	6.5 LD	2.7	23
2007 AA2	2026-Jul-11	17.8 LD	7.2	43

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.

Essential web links

NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

The official U.S. government space weather bureau

Atmospheric Optics

The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena.

Solar Dynamics Observatory

Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever.

STEREO

3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory

Solar and Heliospheric Observatory

Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO.

SolarMonitor.org

information about sunspots based on the latest NOAA/USAF Active Region Summary

Starlink Satellite Statistics

current counts of failed and deployed Starlink satellites from Jonathan's Space Page. See also, all satellite statistics.

The Aerospace Corporation

Authoritative predictions of space junk and satellite re-entries

Daily Sunspot Summaries

from the NOAA Space Environment Center

NOAA 27-Day Space Weather Forecasts

fun to read, but should be taken with a grain of salt! Forecasts looking ahead more than a few days are often wrong.

Aurora 30 min forecast

from the NOAA Space Environment Center

Live Aurora Webcam

from Lights over Lapland

Heliophysics

the underlying science of space weather

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