THE SOLAR WIND HAS ARRIVED: Earth is entering a stream of solar wind flowing from a hole in the sun's atmosphere. Wind speeds are currently topping 600 km/s. The stream is applying pressure to Earth's magnetic field and could spark a minor G1-class geomagnetic storm. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
MARS, THE BEEHIVE, AND THE AURORA BOREALIS: A strong geomagnetic storm can be very distracting. "During Saturday's G3-class storm, one detail was somewhat overlooked," says Petr Horálek of Lansjarv, Sweden. "The planet Mars was at its closest angular proximity to the center of the Beehive star cluster (M44)."
"I was fortunate to be in a location where this lovely celestial encounter unfolded directly beneath an exceptionally bright aurora," says Horálek. "Its brilliance was so intense that it beautifully illuminated the landscape on an otherwise moonless night."
Not everyone missed the conjunction. Photographers in California had no auroras to distract them. Maybe next time.
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IT'S LOOKING BACK AT YOU: Jonathan Harmon was flying 18,000 ft over Virginia's Shenandoah Valley on Sept. 30th when he looked out the window ... and saw this giant eye looking back:
"I began photographing with my iPhone 14 ProMax," says Harmon. "The plane was passing through a layer of icy clouds when it appeared."
Indeed, that explains it. Harmon photographed a type of double ice halo around the sun often compared to an eye: A 22-degree halo plus a circumscribed halo. He also saw a pair of sundogs and a partial white parhelic circle.
Moral: When flying through clouds, grab the window seat.
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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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