THE SOLAR WIND IS BLOWING AGAIN: Over the weekend, solar wind speeds topped 700 km/s (1.6 million mph), sparking hours of minor G1-class geomagnetic storms. It could happen again today. After subsiding on May 4th, solar wind speeds are picking up again on May 5th, exceeding 700 km/s. High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
GHOST COMET ATLAS: Do you believe in ghosts? Australian amateur astronomer Michael Mattiazzo does. On May 1st, he photographed the ghost of Comet ATLAS (C/2024 G3):
"Earth crossed the orbital plane of Ghost Comet ATLAS on May 1," explains Mattiazzo. "The edge-on geometry allowed me to photograph its remains."
In January 2025, people around the world watched in amazement as Comet ATLAS dive-bombed the sun and survived to become a naked-eye object in the evening sky. Things started to go wrong in late January when the comet's sun-shocked nucleus began to fall apart. Streamers of debris emerged from the comet's core and, soon, a full-fledged disintegration was underway. Four months later, the comet has become a ghostly cloud of uncorporal gas and dust.
"It is still putting on a good show despite its disintegration," says Mattiazzo, who estimates its magnitude as +12. This makes it an easy target for experienced astrophotographers in the southern hemisphere. Point your optics here.
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BLACK MOONCAT EARRINGS: For the first time ever, earrings have flown to the edge of space. On April 20, 2025, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched a cosmic ray research balloon, and these Black Mooncat Earrings went along for the ride:
You can have a pair for $149.95. Supported by a sterling silver frame, each black cat is curled around a genuine blue moonstone. The earrings floated through the stratosphere for almost 3 hours, reaching a peak altitude of 110,555 feet. They're the perfect companion for the Geomagnetic Black Cat Pendant.
Each pair of earrings comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of their trip to the stratosphere and back.
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