SpaceWeather.com Archive — Sun, Aug 11, 2024

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MORE CMEs ARE COMING: A new model from NOAA shows three CMEs washing over Earth during the next 24-48 hours. This could cause episodes of G1 to G2-class geomagnetic storms on Aug. 11th and 12th. Northern observers may catch both auroras and meteors in their night sky exposures, as the Perseids are peaking tonight! CME Impact alerts: SMS Tex t

CME IMPACT SPARKS AURORAS: As predicted, a CME hit Earth on Aug. 10th. The impact was weak, but enough to spark naked-eye auroras across Canada and several northern-tier US states. Michele Sadauskas caught the display over Glidden, Wisconsin:

"I headed out to capture a few Perseids, but thought it best to pick a site where I could keep an eye out on any possible aurora. I made the right decision!" says Sadauskas. "This strong pink and red substorm hit right around 2:35 a.m. Central Time, although the aurora stuck around till dawn."

more images: from Jeroen Daniels near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; from David Glaser of Castle Danger, Minnesota; from Aaron Watson of Paonia, Colorado; from Harlan Thomas of Jumping Pound, Alberta, Canada;

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THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER IS HAPPENING: Earth is passing through a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Forecasters say the shower will peak tonight, Aug. 11-12, with dozens of bright meteors per hour visible from dark-sky sites. David E. Johnson of Joliet, Illinois, caught this early Perseid cutting across M33 on Aug. 10th:

"I was imaging M33 with my Seestar S50, and during the exposure time, a relatively bright Perseid meteor passed directly through the field of view," says Johnson.

Northern sky watchers may be able to catch Perseids framed by auroras. The shower will peak during a predicted G2-class geomagnetic storm. Submit your photos here.

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18K GOLD TOTAL ECLIPSE PENDANT: This pendant has touched the shadow of the Moon. On April 8, 2024, during a total eclipse of the sun in Texas, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. Floating more than 118,110 feet high, the locket spent 3 minutes and 45 seconds wrapped in lunar shadow:

You can have it for $199.95. The 18K gold-plated locket is inscribed with the words "I love you to the Moon and back," and opens to hold a personal photo or other small item. It comes with a greeting card showing the locket in flight and telling the story of its journey to the edge of space during the total eclipse