FAST SOLAR WIND BLOWING AROUND EARTH: Earth is moving deeper into a stream of solar wind blowing faster than 500 km/s (1.1 million mph) . This sets the stage for a weekend of possible G1-class geomagnetic storms and equinox auroras amplified by the Russell-McPherron Effect. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
THE BEST HARVEST MOON IN FIVE YEARS: There's something special about this weekend's full Moon. It's a Harvest Moon--closer to the autumnal equinox than any other full Moon of the past 5 years.
Above: The Harvest Moon of 2025 over Gardiner, NY. Credit: James Perez-Rogers
The equinox gives the Harvest Moon a special power: It rises near sunset for several nights in a row. Most full Moons don't do this. Before electric lights, farmers relied on this phenomenon. The bright Moon rising at dusk on consecutive nights gave them extra hours to bring in the autumn crops. Indeed, that's how the Harvest Moon got its name.
Harvest Moons have special colors, too. Rising at dusk, they are bathed in twilight hues while the lunar disk is often amber and swollen by the Moon Illusion.
This year's Harvest Moon on Sept. 26th is extra Harvest-y. It's closer to the equinox than usual: only 3.7 days later. The Harvest Moon can land as far as 15 days from the equinox. In the last decade, only 2018 (2.0 days) and 2021 (1.8 days) came closer than 2026.
Go outside at sunset, face east, and enjoy the Harvest Moonlight.
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EQUINOX AURORAS: Thursday night, Sept. 24th, was a great example of the Russell-McPherron Effect at work. There was no geomagnetic storm, yet many observers witnessed auroras anyway. John David McKinnon photographed this bright green curtain over Four Mile Lake, Alberta, Canada:
"Even a tinge of the red Aurora came out to play. Beauty, eh!" says McKinnon.
What happened? During the early hours of Sept. 24th, a minor solar wind stream brushed against Earth. The gentle contact was amplified by the Russell-McPherron Effect: At this time of year, equinox geometry connects the sun's magnetic field to Earth's magnetic field. Portals open and the solar wind flows through to fuel auroras.
Stay tuned for more. The Russell-McPherron Effect is active well into October. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
more images: from Shawn Malone of Marquette Michigan
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THE ALIEN MIND SCULPTURE: The brains of octopuses are so different from ours, they're often called "alien minds." That makes the Alien Mind Sculpture more than a paperweight -- it’s a fascinating conversation piece inspired by one of nature’s strangest and smartest creatures. Bonus: It has been to space:
You can have it for $149.95. On July 30, 2026, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched this sculpture onboard a cosmic ray research balloon. For 3 hours, it floated more than 105,000 feet above the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California while cosmic ray sensors inside the payload gathered data for our radiation monitoring program.
It comes with a full-color gift card showing the octopus floating at the top of Earth's atmosphere. The interior of the card tells the story of the flight and where it landed.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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