Space weather is a big deal, and NASA is taking steps to understand it better. On a recent Wednesday, two satellites were sent into space from California on a SpaceX rocket. This mission, called TRACERS, is set to study the polar cusps, areas in Earth's magnetic field near the poles. These areas are key to creating the beautiful auroras we see, but they also play a r...
The Earth is currently experiencing a significant G4 geomagnetic storm. This storm has been active from 06:00 to 12:00 UTC. It is important to know that this storm can mess with our communications, power grids, and even satellites. The sun has been quite active. A strong solar flare and a coronal mass ejection (CME) were released on Friday night. These event...
Predicting space weather is tricky. Unlike Earth weather, it doesn't get as much attention, even though the risks are high. Scientists can spot solar storms and estimate when they'll reach Earth, but there's a big unknown. The magnetic field of a storm, known as the Bz component, can't be predicted until it's almost at our doorstep. This magnetic field can either be ...
The sun has been quite active lately, and Earth is feeling the effects. A massive solar storm recently struck the daylit side of our planet, leading to widespread blackouts and radio signal disruptions across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The event was triggered by a powerful X2. 7-class solar flare that erupted from sunspot AR4087 early Tuesday morning. This fl...
The red planet has a new trick up its sleeve. A rover on Mars has captured the first aurora that humans can see with the naked eye. This isn't just a pretty sight; it's a big deal for space weather studies. The green glow in the Martian sky was caused by a solar storm that hit Mars last year. Scientists knew it was coming and pointed the rover's cameras to catch ...
The Red Planet has always been a mystery. But recently, it gave us a surprise. A team of scientists spotted something amazing. They saw the first visible aurora on Mars. This is a big deal. It is the first time humans have seen this light show on another planet with their own eyes. The aurora is like the northern lights on Earth. It happens when tiny particles...
The White House has sent a budget draft to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The draft is for the fiscal year 2026. It suggests big changes to space-related activities. This includes the Geostationary Extended Observations program. This program is set to launch a new generation of weather satellites in the early 2030s. The budget draft wants t...
Solar storms are a big deal. They can mess with our power grids, GPS signals, and even satellites. Imagine a storm so strong it could cause a trillion-dollar disaster. That's what some experts are worried about. In 2024, a series of solar storms, known as the Gannon Storm, hit Earth. It was the first extreme geomagnetic event since 2003. While it was dramatic, it als...
The latest addition to the weather-watching family, GOES-19, is now fully operational. This satellite, part of the GOES-R series, has taken over the role of GOES East. It is now keeping a close eye on the Western Hemisphere from a whopping 22, 236 miles above the equator. This isn't GOES-19's first time sending back pictures. It started sharing preliminary images and...
NASA has just launched an exciting new mission to keep an eye on the Sun's behavior. This mission, called PUNCH, uses four small satellites working together. These satellites give us a 3D view of the Sun's outer layer, known as the corona. This is a big deal because it helps us understand and predict solar storms. Solar storms can cause big problems on Earth...