A CME PASSED CLOSE TO EARTH TODAY: Ripples in today's solar wind data suggest that a CME passed close to our planet on Aug. 17th but did not hit. Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible in the hours ahead as Earth grazes the CME's magnetized wake. Aurora Alerts: SMS Text
A 'UFO BUBBLE' OVER THE GREAT LAKES: It appeared without warning. On Saturday night, Aug. 15th, a luminous bubble expanded over the Great Lakes. In the middle, a point of light slowly moved away. "I've never seen anything like it," reports Ben Kawecki, who photographed the display from Awenda Park, Ontario:
It was a rocket. Earlier that evening, a SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral. One orbit later, the upper stage came back around and vented its leftover propellant above the Great Lakes. Kawecki witnessed the expanding cloud.
This was a mission for Globalstar. If you own an iPhone, you're a customer: Apple's Emergency SOS runs on Globalstar's network, and Apple reserves 85% of its capacity. The Falcon 9 rocket deployed 8 new satellites to the Globalstar constellation, bringing the total to roughly 94. Most are obsolete and retired, but about 30 are active (including the newcomers).
Globalstar satellites operate more than 1,000 km above Earth, a relatively high orbit. At that altitude, the propellant expanded into vacuum and formed a glowing sphere. It's the high-altitude cousin of the "space jellyfish" effect seen in lower deployments.
Bonus: Only 38 minutes after Globalstar blasted off, SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 from California--the shortest gap in the company's history. The payload was a spy satellite, so we can't tell you anything.
Would you like a text message warning you when SpaceX rockets are about to launch? It's a great way to get outside and see them. Sign up for our new Backyard Astronomy Alert Service.
more images: from Nick Lamendola of Canadice Lake, NY; from Ronald Zincone of Jamestown, Rhode Island; from Frank J Melillo of Holtsville, NY
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RAINBOW DRAGONFLY EARRINGS: If you liked the Rainbow Dragonfly Pendant, you'll love the matching earrings. On July 7, 2026, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched them to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon:
You can have a pair for $149.95. Made of stained glass with a sterling silver exoskeleton, each dragonfly has a wingspan of 0.8 inches and dangles from a matching sterling silver clasp. Your order comes with a full-color greeting card showing the earrings in flight and telling the story of their journey to the stratosphere and back.
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