GLANCING-BLOW CME TODAY? Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible today, May 30th, if a CME grazes Earth's magnetic field. There's a 50-50 chance it will make contact. The CME was hurled into space 2 days ago by an erupting solar filament. CME impact alerts: SMS Text
THIS WEEKEND'S FULL MOON IS A BLUE MOON: Get ready for some rare "Blue Moonlight." On Sunday, May 31st, sky watchers will witness a Blue Moon rising over the eastern horizon. Just step outside at sunset and spin round to face east. There it is.
Above: A Blue Moon over Seal Beach CA on Aug. 30, 2023. Credit: Chris Cook
Don't expect any color change, though -- this is a "calendar Blue Moon," the second full Moon within a single calendar month. May 2026 opened with a full Moon at the start of the month, and now closes with another. The phenomenon happens every two to three years and does not alter the Moon's natural colors. Low-hanging Blue Moons are typically orange (because of scattering in the atmosphere) while overhead Blue Moons are the gray shades of moonrock.
But here's the twist: Moons CAN actually turn blue. It's rare, but real.
True blue Moons require unusual atmospheric conditions caused by forest fires and volcanoes. When the air is loaded with smokey particles slightly wider than the wavelength of red light (about 1 micron across) those particles preferentially scatter red wavelengths while letting blue light pass through. The result: a Moon tinged genuinely blue.
Following the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, observers reported blue Moons for nearly two years. The 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens produced them, as did the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. Smoke from wildfires in western Canada in September 1950 turned Moons blue across North America and Europe for weeks.
This Sunday, step outside and look up. The Moon will be full, bright, and, barring a volcanic calamity or forest fire, stubbornly silver. Enjoy the "Blue" moonlight anyway!
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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 21st, 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 $129.95. 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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