Solar Storm Sparks Rare “Aurora Extravaganza” Visible Far Beyond the Arctic What Are the Northern Lights? The Science Behind the Glow The Northern Lights (aurora borealis) are a dazzling atmospheric phenomenon caused by disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field – typically from eruptions on the Sun. When the Sun flings off charged particles in a solar…
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Eclipses of September 2025: A Blood Moon and a Crescent Sun Total Lunar Eclipse & “Corn Moon” (Sept 7): On the night of September 7, Earth’s shadow will completely engulf the full Moon, causing a total lunar eclipse that lasts about 82 minutes timesofindia.indiatimes.com. During totality (from ~17:30–18:52 UTC), the Moon will dim to a…
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Key Facts Space & Astronomy: Cosmic Revelations Webb Discovers “Impossible” Early Galaxies: Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are astonished by 300 unusually bright objects that may be among the earliest galaxies ever to form sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com. These galaxies appear far brighter and more massive than expected so soon after the Big Bang.…
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Key Facts Auroras Incoming: Solar Storm on September 1–2 The biggest excitement for this weekend’s skywatchers is the aurora alert triggered by an Earth-directed solar eruption. On Aug 30, a small sunspot (NOAA AR 4204, part of larger region 4199) surprised forecasters by erupting with a long-duration M2.7-class solar flare spaceweather.com. Though moderate in X-ray…
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Dark Skies and Meteor Showers: Perseids Fade, Aurigids Arrive Late August 2025 brings wonderfully dark night skies thanks to the Moon’s phase. August 23 was a rare “Black Moon” (a third new moon in a season), so evenings around Aug 27–30 have had little moonlight ts2.tech. By this weekend the Moon is only about 7–8 days…
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Key Facts In-Depth Report Launch Events & Spaceflight Milestones SpaceX’s Record-Breaking Launches: SpaceX achieved back-to-back historic feats with its workhorse Falcon 9. In the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 28, a Falcon 9 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center carrying 28 Starlink satellites – notably, it was the 30th launch and landing of booster B1067, setting a new rocket…
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Dark Skies & Meteor Showers: Perseid Fade, Aurigid Fireballs? Late August 2025 offers wonderfully dark skies thanks to the timing of the Moon. August 23 marked a rare third new moon in a season (sometimes called a “Black Moon”), leaving nights around Aug 27–30 exceptionally dark ts2.tech. By Aug 29–30 the Moon is only 6–7…
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Key Facts Launches & Spaceflight SpaceX’s Record-Breakers: SpaceX achieved back-to-back milestones with its Starlink launches. In the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 28, a Falcon 9 rocket (booster B1067) blasted off from Kennedy Space Center carrying 28 Starlink satellites – notably the booster’s 30th launch and landing, a new reuse record space.com mynews13.com. “Falcon 9’s first…
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Dark “Black Moon” Nights & Shooting Stars Late August 2025 brings unusually dark skies thanks to a rare Black Moon. The new Moon on Aug. 23 was the third new Moon in a season of four space.com – a configuration that leaves the next days moonless. By Aug 27–28 the slim crescent Moon is just a…
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SpaceX Launches & Reusability Milestones On Aug. 27 SpaceX’s Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral carrying 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, and its first-stage booster (B1095) successfully returned to SpaceX’s droneship in the Atlantic. Spaceflight reports confirm this landing marks the company’s 400th ocean recovery of a Falcon first stage space.com space.com. The booster had…
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