WAITING FOR THE CME (UPDATED): A CME was supposed to hit Earth on June 8th, but we're still waiting on June 9th. The delayed impact (if it occurs) could spark a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm with high-latitude auroras during tonight's Venus Jupiter conjunction. CME impact alerts: Space Weather Alert Service.
VENUS-JUPITER CONJUNCTION: This is a very good night to look into the sunset. Venus and Jupiter are in conjunction only 1.6 degrees apart--a striking pair in the western evening sky. Georg Klingersberger sends this picture from Kobernaußen, Austria:
"Despite the clouds I went out to photograph the converging planets, and the view was indescribably beautiful," says Klingersberger. "Even Mercury appeared between the cloud and the horizon just before it set."
This is the beginning of a week-long sky show. During the nights ahead, Mercury rise higher in the sky, joining Jupiter and Venus to form a visible trio in the constellation Gemini. Then, days later, the crescent Moon will join the planets in a striking sunset alignment. Browse our sky maps for a night-by-night preview. Sky maps: June 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.
more images: from Noeleen Lowndes of Gold Coast Qld Australia; from Peter Rosén of Stockholm, Sweden; from Hazarry Ali Ahmad of Keriam, Tutong, Brunei; from Shahrin Ahmad of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; from Teresa Molinaro of Sicily, Italy; from Khosro Jafarizadeh of Karaj, Alborz, Iran; from Arturo Gómez Moreno of Santiago, Chile;
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FATHER'S DAY "DLG" IRON STATUE: DLG means "Daddy's Little Girl." On May 1, 2026, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched the Father's Day DLG Sculpture to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. At the apex of the flight, it floated 102,222 feet above Earth's surface:
You can have it for $149.95. Handcrafted from iron, the sculpture celebrates the special love between dads and their daughters. The students are selling Father's Day Gifts 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.
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All sales support hands-on STEM education
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