THE CME HAS ARRIVED: Arriving a few hours later than predicted, a CME hit Earth on Oct 3rd at 0251 UTC. This is not a major CME. Nevertheless, it is capable of sparking a G1-class geomagnetic storm with high-latitude auroras in the hours ahead. CME Impact Alerts: SMS Text

THE BEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR TO SEE SATURN: In the eyepiece of a telescope, Saturn will take your breath away. That's not hyperbole. The ringed planet really is that beautiful, and tonight is the best night of the year to see it. Look east after sunset just below the Great Square of Pegasus:

It looks like a yellow star twice as bright as first magnitude. Even a small telescope will show its magnificent rings. Saturn looks like a little Christmas ornament floating in space.

Tonight is special because Saturn is making its closest approach to Earth. Astronomers say "Saturn is at opposition" because it is opposite the sun in the sky. It rises in the east at sunset and stays up all night long. If you can stay up until midnight, you'll see it high in the sky facing south.

Enjoy the show, and if you take a picture, please submit it here.

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THE EASTER ISLAND CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT: You can't buy this on Amazon. Only the Earth to Sky Store has the Easter Island Christmas Ornament from space. Here it is floating at the top of Earth's atmosphere on July 16, 2026:

You can have it for $98.95. Modeled after the iconic stone heads of Easter Island, known as Moai, this ornament adds an element of mystery to any Christmas Tree. For 3 hours, it floated through the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon, then parachuted back to Earth, landing near Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park.

The ornament comes with a full-color gift card showing the Moai in flight. The interior of the card tells the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again.

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GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: A G1 geomagnetic storm watch is in effect as two CMEs approach Earth. The first CME is expected to graze Earth on Oct. 2nd, while the second CME follows with a near-miss on Oct. 4th. High-latitude auroras are possible on both dates. CME Impact Alerts: SMS Text

SPACE WEATHER STOPPED AN ENGLISH TRAIN: Research into the origins of space weather has led scholars to a strange place: An express train in England. Date: Oct. 18, 1848.

A new paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Space Weather examines a curious 16-minute delay almost 180 years ago. At the Exeter platform in the county of Devon, passengers sat motionless from 10:05 pm to 10:21 pm because signalers couldn't confirm that the track ahead was clear.

A sunspot was to blame. Just as the train was scheduled to leave the station, a geomagnetic storm interfered with the telegraph system. Electric currents surged through the wires, and the needles signalers used to check the line swung wildly.

The next morning, British clergyman Temple Chevallier sketched a huge sunspot group facing Earth. A month later, when the same sunspot group came around again, auroras lit up the skies of Italy. On Nov. 17, 1848, telegraph instruments between Florence and Pisa jammed just as they had done in Exeter.

All of this took place 11 years before the Carrington Event--a September 1859 solar super-storm sometimes called "the birth of space weather." Solar flares were discovered during the Carrington Event when Richard Carrington saw the bloom of a flare on his solar projection screen.

Before you memorize 1848, however, consider the previous year. On March 19, 1847, railway engineer William Barlow noticed something strange on the Midland Railway near Derby, England. "A brilliant aurora was seen," he reported to the Royal Society, "and during the whole time, strong alternating deflections occurred on all [our telegraph] instruments."

The authors of the new paper believe that is the first documented case of the sun interfering with human tech. The "Barlow Event," anyone?

Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1029/2026SW005239

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THE EASTER ISLAND CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT: You can't buy this on Amazon. Only the Earth to Sky Store has the Easter Island Christmas Ornament from space. Here it is floating at the top of Earth's atmosphere on July 16, 2026:

You can have it for $98.95. Modeled after the iconic stone heads of Easter Island, known as Moai, this ornament adds an element of mystery to any Christmas Tree. For 3 hours, it floated through the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon, then parachuted back to Earth, landing near Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park.

The ornament comes with a full-color gift card showing the Moai in flight. The interior of the card tells the story of its journey to the edge of space 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