SpaceWeather.com
Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026
Original Site
GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY: Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are in progress on Aug. 18th, causing high-latitude auroras. A CME narrowly missed Earth yesterday, and now we are passing through its wake. Geomagnetic unrest could continue for the next few hours.
Gregory Ash saw the geomagnetic glow from Ely, Minnesota:
"In spite of distant wildfire smoke and an approaching storm, it was very peaceful watching the developing aurora reflection under the sparkling stars and Milky Way!" says Ash. Aurora Alerts: SMS Text
A 'UFO BUBBLE' OVER THE GREAT LAKES: It appeared without warning. On Saturday night, Aug. 15th, a luminous bubble expanded over the Great Lakes. In the middle, a point of light slowly moved away. "I've never seen anything like it," reports Ben Kawecki, who photographed the display from Awenda Park, Ontario:
It was a rocket. Earlier that evening, a SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral. One orbit later, the upper stage came back around and vented its leftover propellant above the Great Lakes. Kawecki witnessed the expanding cloud.
This was a mission for Globalstar. If you own an iPhone, you're a customer: Apple's Emergency SOS runs on Globalstar's network, and Apple reserves 85% of its capacity. The Falcon 9 rocket deployed 8 new satellites to the Globalstar constellation, bringing the total to roughly 94. Most are obsolete and retired, but about 30 are active (including the newcomers).
Globalstar satellites operate more than 1,000 km above Earth, a relatively high orbit. At that altitude, the propellant expanded into vacuum and formed a glowing sphere--a high-altitude cousin of the "space jellyfish" effect often seen in lower deployments.
Bonus: Only 38 minutes after Globalstar blasted off, SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 from California--the shortest gap in the company's history. The payload was a spy satellite, so we can't tell you anything about it.
Would you like a text alert when SpaceX is about to launch? It's a great way to get outside and see these phenomena. Sign up for our new Backyard Astronomy Alert Service.
more images: from Nick Lamendola of Canadice Lake, NY; from Ronald Zincone of Jamestown, Rhode Island; from Frank J Melillo of Holtsville, NY
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RAINBOW DRAGONFLY EARRINGS: If you liked the Rainbow Dragonfly Pendant, you'll love the matching earrings. On July 7, 2026, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched them to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have a pair for $149.95. Made of stained glass with a sterling silver exoskeleton, each dragonfly has a wingspan of 0.8 inches and dangles from a matching sterling silver clasp. Your order comes with a full-color greeting card showing the earrings in flight and telling the story of their journey to the stratosphere and back.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
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GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: A magnetic filament erupted from the sun on Aug. 14th and hurled a CME into space. NOAA models predict a glancing blow to Earth on Aug 17th. The impact could spark a G1-class geomagnetic storm with high-latitude auroras. CME Impact Alerts: SMS Text
THE MOON IS A PERFECT CORONAGRAPH: As much as we love SOHO and CCOR coronagraphs, they will never reveal the sun's corona like this image taken by Miguel Claro from the balcony of his hotel room in Burgos, Spain:
"On Aug. 12th, I photographed the total solar eclipse from Bodegas Nabal," says Claro. "It was incredibly beautiful."
And scientifically valuable. The Moon is a better coronagraph than anything humans have ever built, revealing the sun's atmosphere almost all the way down to the edge of the sun.
The inner corona is where space weather is born. Solar flares explode there. CMEs begin their journeys there. It is also where the solar wind escapes confiement and accelerates into a supersonic flow. Claro's photo reveals the environment where all this happens.
It's incredibly beautiful, too.
Realtime Solar Eclipse Photo Gallery
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RAINBOW DRAGONFLY EARRINGS: If you liked the Rainbow Dragonfly Pendant, you'll love the matching earrings. On July 7, 2026, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched them to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have a pair for $149.95. Made of stained glass with a sterling silver exoskeleton, each dragonfly has a wingspan of 0.8 inches and dangles from a matching sterling silver clasp. Your order comes with a full-color greeting card showing the earrings in flight and telling the story of their journey to the stratosphere and back.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Space Weather Newsletter
