CONTINUED CHANCE OF STORMS: Earth's magnetic field is still reverberating from a G2-class geomanetic storm on April 18th. The activity is subsiding, but slowly, so that minor G1-class storms are possible on April 19th. High-latitude sky watchers should remain alert for auroras. Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
STARLINK IS NOT ALONE: Lately, we've been covering the growing problem of Starlink interference in astronomy photos. Pictures of comets often contain dozens of streaks. But Starlink is not alone, as shown in this picture taken by amateur astronomer Rainer Baule of Siegen, Germany:
"The image shows the Rosette Nebula (NGC 2237) in the constellation Monoceros with a prominent satellite flare crossing the field of view," says Baule. "The object was the US military satellite FIA Radar 4, which flies in an orbit of 1,107 km height. The maximum brightness was close to Venus with -4.5."
Although the Starlink program has attracted attention for launching more than 10,000 satellites, they're not the only ones orbiting Earth. The population of other satellites has been growing, too. Satellites not named "Starlink" now total almost 5,000, bringing the grand total of all satellites to ~15,000.
Who is second to Starlink? The biggest runner-up is China's Qianfan (also known as Thousand Sails), which was around 600+ satellites by late 2025 and climbing toward its planned 14,000+. Close behind is OneWeb (operated by Eutelsat), with 656 satellites as of February 2026.
Ten years ago there were only about 1,400 active satellites--TOTAL. The current near-Earth environment is 10 times as busy and growing more crowded every day. What could go wrong?
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
MOTHER'S LOVE IRON SCULPTURE: Mother's Day is coming soon. Here's a gift she'll never forget: The Mother's Love Iron Sculpture. On Nov. 13, 2025, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have it for $159.95. Handmade from iron, the sculpture depicts a mother embracing her daughter--in this case more than 100,000 feet above Earth. The gift-boxed figurine includes a unique keepsake card showing the sculpture at the top of Earth’s atmosphere. Inside, the card tells the story of the flight and certifies that this gift has been to the edge of space--and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Comet Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter