GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH--CANCELLED: A pair of slow-moving CMEs expected to hit Earth on Oct. 7-8 either missed or their impacts were too weak to notice. Whichever happened, today's G1 geomagnetic storm watch is cancelled. CME impact alerts: SMS Text.
THE THOLIAN WEB: Readers of a certain age will remember The Tholian Web. It appeared in a 1968 episode of Star Trek (The Original Series). Captain Kirk was caught between dimensions while Spock and crew rushed to rescue him. At the same time, the Tholians weaved a destructive energy web around the Enterprise.
Fast forward to 2025, and the Tholian Web is real:
The checkerboard streaks in this image were photographed by Lorenzo Comolli of Saint Barthelemy, Italy. He was trying to take a picture of Comet Lemmon in September, but as the exposure time increased, more and more Starlink satellites crossed the field of view.
"It seems that the promise of Musk of dark satellites is completely void. They are really bright (2nd and 3rd magnitude)," says Comolli. "This makes me worry for the future quality of the sky."
He's right to worry. Right now, Earth is surrounded by about 8000 Starlinks with future plans calling for 42,000. Amazon’s Project Kuiper has begun launching its own planned 3,200-satellite broadband fleet, while China is building two more megaconstellations: Guowang (13,000 satellites) and "Qianfan" ("Thousand Sails", 15,000-plus). Together, they could eventually rival or surpass Starlink.
Who are the Tholians? You decide.
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COLLECTABLE STAR TREK ORNAMENT: No Trekkie Christmas tree is complete without The Arena Ornament. This rare Hallmark keepsake depicts the reptilian Gorn poised to deliver a death blow to Capt. James T. Kirk on the planet Cestus III. On June 14, 2024, it flew to the edge of space onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $135.95. The ornament depicts a famous scene from The Original Series episode "Arena" first broadcast on January 19, 1967. Decades later, the Gorn have become main villians on the new Star Trek series Strange New Worlds, which we love!
The ornament comes with a Christmas card showing Kirk and the Gorn in flight, and certifying they have traveled to the edge of space and back again.
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