CO-ROTATING INTERACTION REGION: A co-rotating interaction region (CIR) is expected to hit Earth on Aug. 18th, squeezing our magnetic field between fast and slow streams of solar wind. Watch for a sudden jump in solar wind speed, density, and magnetic field (especially Bz). Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras are possible if Bz turns south. CIR impact alerts: SMS Text
LAST CHANCE TO SEE TITAN'S SHADOW: Time is running out to witness a rare spectacle on Saturn. Since May, amateur astronomers have been spotting the shadow of Titan--Saturn's strangely Earthlike moon--as it glides across the ringed planet’s cloudtops.
"I am very happy to have recorded this very RARE event on Aug. 3rd," says Philip Smith of Manorville, NY.
The next opportunity comes on Aug. 19th, and it will be one of the final transits of the series. After the season ends in October, observers will have to wait until the 2040s for another chance.
Shadow transits like these occur only during Saturn's equinoxes, when sunlight strikes the planet’s rings and moons edge-on. Among Saturn's menagerie of 274 known satellites, Titan’s shadow stands out as immense, jet black, and visible even in modest backyard telescopes.
Gregory Shanos of Longboat Key, FL, has photographed six transits in the current cycle:
"Note how the shadow begins just above the rings in May and gets higher on the disk with each successive transit," he says. The Aug. 19th transit will be the highest yet, with a visibly elongated disk stretching toward Saturn's pole.
Every transit lasts hours. Titan’s shadow marches slowly across Saturn’s globe rather than flashing by in an instant, giving observers plenty of time to experiment with photo settings and soak in the view through the eyepiece.
The Aug. 19th event begins at 05:52 UT (01:52 am EDT) and ends about four hours later. Saturn will be high in the southern sky, shining at magnitude +0.6 in the constellation Pisces: sky map.
Enjoy the show--it won’t be back for nearly two decades.
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"I LOVE YOU MORE" BLACK PEARL PENDANT: This black pearl has touched space. On May 26, 2025, the South Sea treasure hitched a ride on an Earth to Sky Calculus cosmic ray research balloon, floating 112,021 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California:
You can have it for $199.95. The black pearl's sterling silver infinity wrap is engraved with the words "I Love You More." It's the perfect birthday, anniversary or (never too early!) Christmas gift for someone who loves space.
The students are selling space pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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