GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH (G2): NOAA forecasters say that moderate (G2-class) geomagnetic storms are possible on June 5th as Earth enters a high-speed stream of solar wind. The gaseous material is blowing faster than 700 km/s from a hole in the sun's atmosphere. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
THEY'RE BACK! NOCTILUCENT CLOUD SEASON BEGINS: A ring of frosted meteor smoke is forming around the Arctic Circle, kicking off the 2025 season for noctilucent clouds (NLCs). Alan C. Tough saw them on June 4th from Elgin, Moray, Scotland:
The fine bright ripples in Tough's photo are telltale signs of NLCs.
"During our summer months, the sky in the north of Scotland never gets dark enough for auroras," says Tough. "However, as compensation, we get to see these spectacular, ethereal, electric-blue NLCs."
NLCs are Earth’s highest clouds. Floating at the edge of space about 83 km above the ground, they form when summertime wisps of water vapor rise up to the mesosphere, allowing water to crystallize around specks of meteor smoke. The season for bright naked-eye NLCs typically stretches from June through August.
Usually NLCs in early June are confined to high latitudes, but the clouds may have been sighted on June 3rd as far south as Treviso, Italy (+45 N). This means mid-latitude observers should be alert for NLCs as well. Pro tip: Look west 30 to 60 minutes after sunset when the sun has dipped ~10 or more degrees below the horizon. That's the best geometry for seeing the electric-blue ripples.
Realtime Noctilucent Cloud Photo Gallery
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SOLAR SYSTEM STUD EARRINGS: These earrings have flown to the edge of space--and all eight planets are included! On May 21, 2025, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched the Solar System Stud Earrings to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. At the apex of the flight, they floated 104,655 feet high:
You can have the complete set for $149.95. Only Pluto is omitted from the collection; the dwarf planet was too small for human earlobes. The earrings come with a greeting card showing the studs in flight and telling the story of their journey to the stratosphere and back again.
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Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
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Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
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