A SOLAR WIND STREAM IS BLOWING AROUND EARTH: It arrived during the early hours of Oct. 4th. A fast-moving stream of solar wind is blowing around Earth at speeds topping 600 km/s (1.3 million mph)--the gaseous material emerging from a hole in the sun's atmosphere.
First contact with the stream sparked auroras across Canada and multiple northern-tier US States. Carl Bracken photographed the display from Lansing, Iowa:
"This is the best frame my outdoor dome camera Q3628-VE captured between 2:15am and 3:30am on Oct. 4th--a great way to celebrate our anniversary of 29 years!" says Bracken.
By midday on Oct. 4th, storm levels climbed from G1 (Minor) to G2 (Moderate). Only sunlight in the Americas prevented more widespread aurora sightings.
During the initial G1 phase of the storm, high-latitude auroras were detected by all-sky cameras from Sweden to western Canada:
These images come from Spaceweather.com's new aurora detection network--a mixed array of private and public cameras. There are currently 18 observing sites in the network with more being added every day. Soon, it will be able to provide instant alerts of visible aurora activity to almost all subscribers of our Spaceweather Alert Service.
If you have a camera you would like to add to the network--let us know.
more images: from Jessica Fridrich of Binghamton, NY
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THE EASTER ISLAND CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT: You can't buy this on Amazon. Only the Earth to Sky Store has the Easter Island Christmas Ornament from space. Here it is floating at the top of Earth's atmosphere on July 16, 2026:
You can have it for $98.95. Modeled after the iconic stone heads of Easter Island, known as Moai, this ornament adds an element of mystery to any Christmas Tree. For 3 hours, it floated through the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon, then parachuted back to Earth, landing near Telescope Peak in Death Valley National Park.
The ornament comes with a full-color gift card showing the Moai in flight. The interior of the card tells the story of its journey to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
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