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SPACE WEATHER
NOAA Forecasts |
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Updated at: 2026 Nov 06 2200 UTC
FLARE |
0-24
hr |
24-48
hr |
CLASS M |
35
% |
35
% |
CLASS X |
10
% |
10
% |
Geomagnetic Storms:
Probabilities for significant
disturbances in Earth's magnetic field are given for three activity levels: active, minor
storm, severe
storm
Updated at: 2026 Nov 06 2200 UTC
Mid-latitudes
|
0-24
hr |
24-48
hr |
ACTIVE |
35
% |
35
% |
MINOR |
30
% |
30
% |
SEVERE |
10
% |
10
% |
High latitudes
|
0-24
hr |
24-48
hr |
ACTIVE |
10
% |
10
% |
MINOR |
25
% |
25
% |
SEVERE |
60
% |
60
% |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
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| |
AI writing is everywhere -- except here. This website is written by Dr. Tony Phillips, a carbon-based lifeform with 30 yrs of forecasting experience. Our guarantee: If you find a mistake, it was made by a real human being.
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A HOLE IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE: Look at this. Do you see a witch flying on a broom? Actually, it is a hole in the sun's stmosphere sending a stream of solar wind toward Earth. First contact on Nov. 7-8 could spark G1/G2-class geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras. Aurora alerts: SMS Text
SPACEX MILITARY JELLYFISH: Last night, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base. The "jellyfish" exhaust was visible more than 600 miles away. Paul D. Maley witnessed the display from Carefree, Arizona:
"It first appeared about 2 minutes after liftoff and remained visible for 45 minutes, becoming brighter as the minutes wore on," says Maley. "Near the horizon, the launch cloud became very intensely bright, moreso than any prior SpaceX launch we have seen."
The payload was a military secret. The Space Force hasn't revealed the number of satellites or their operational capabilities, but they have published the payload's name: USSF-432 (R-4). Analysts associate the "R" series with the Space Force's Space Based Sensing and Targeting program (or potentially Starshield infrastructure).
Would you like to see the next jellyfish? They are widely visible in California and adjacent states. Sign up for our Backyard Astronomy Alert Service, and we will send you realtime text messages when the rockets are launching.
more images: from Paul Martini of 29 Palms, CA; from Donald E Davis of Joshua Tree, CA; from Emily Nix near Lone Pine, CA; from Dr. Tony Phillips of Aspendell, CA;
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Space Weather Newsletter
CAMPO DEL CIELO METEORITE PENDANT: This meteorite came from space. We sent it back again. The students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched it to the stratosphere onboard a cosmic ray research balloon, more than 109,620 feet above the Sierra Nevada near Bishop, CA:
You can have it for $249.95. Encased in a star-shaped sterling silver frame, this is a genuine iron-nickel Campo del Cielo meteorite from Argentina. It landed on Earth 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, and made the return trip on Aug. 15, 2026. This pendant comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight.
The students are selling space pendants to pay the helium bill for their cosmic ray ballooning program. Each one comes with a greeting card showing the jewelry in flight and telling the story of its trip to the stratosphere and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Every night, a network
of NASA
all-sky cameras scans the skies above the United
States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software
maintained by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office
calculates their orbits, velocity, penetration depth
in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics.
Daily results are presented here on Spaceweather.com.
On November 6, 2026, the network reported 9 fireballs.
(7 sporadics, 1 Northern Taurid, 1 Orionid)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue).
[Larger image] [movies]
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids ( PHAs)
are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that
can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the
known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet,
although astronomers are finding new
ones all the time.
On November 7, 2026 there were 2349 potentially hazardous asteroids.
 |
Recent
& Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT) |
Miss Distance |
Velocity (km/s) |
Diameter (m) |
| 2026 VE3 |
2026-Nov-01 |
0.5 LD |
3 |
7 |
| 2026 VX |
2026-Nov-01 |
6.2 LD |
10.8 |
13 |
| 2026 VW1 |
2026-Nov-01 |
10.7 LD |
18.9 |
16 |
| 2026 VL1 |
2026-Nov-01 |
15.4 LD |
10.3 |
26 |
| 2026 VT1 |
2026-Nov-01 |
17.2 LD |
8.4 |
16 |
| 2026 VU |
2026-Nov-02 |
1 LD |
12.6 |
3 |
| 2026 VA |
2026-Nov-02 |
3.2 LD |
9 |
27 |
| 524522 |
2026-Nov-02 |
15.7 LD |
8.7 |
277 |
| 2026 VW3 |
2026-Nov-02 |
2 LD |
10.8 |
7 |
| 2026 VB4 |
2026-Nov-02 |
1.2 LD |
17.8 |
5 |
| 2026 VC3 |
2026-Nov-03 |
7.8 LD |
21.6 |
50 |
| 2026 VF3 |
2026-Nov-03 |
5.7 LD |
17.4 |
81 |
| 2026 VN3 |
2026-Nov-03 |
2.4 LD |
24.3 |
18 |
| 2026 VE |
2026-Nov-03 |
9.1 LD |
14.7 |
26 |
| 2026 VU3 |
2026-Nov-03 |
8.5 LD |
12.3 |
17 |
| 2021 VC4 |
2026-Nov-03 |
6 LD |
11.2 |
15 |
| 2026 VK |
2026-Nov-03 |
8.9 LD |
7.3 |
29 |
| 2026 VR3 |
2026-Nov-04 |
11.5 LD |
9 |
13 |
| 2026 VC |
2026-Nov-04 |
13.1 LD |
11.7 |
20 |
| 2026 VJ |
2026-Nov-04 |
5.6 LD |
13.8 |
30 |
| 2017 WJ2 |
2026-Nov-05 |
14.7 LD |
12 |
118 |
| 2026 VP1 |
2026-Nov-05 |
0.6 LD |
12.6 |
6 |
| 2016 VZ1 |
2026-Nov-05 |
20 LD |
13.5 |
21 |
| 2026 VV1 |
2026-Nov-05 |
4.6 LD |
6.1 |
11 |
| 2026 VF1 |
2026-Nov-05 |
9.1 LD |
4.3 |
14 |
| 2001 KF54 |
2026-Nov-06 |
18.9 LD |
16.4 |
391 |
| 2026 VN1 |
2026-Nov-06 |
1.6 LD |
17.1 |
8 |
| 2026 VG3 |
2026-Nov-07 |
0.6 LD |
8 |
11 |
| 2026 VZ3 |
2026-Nov-07 |
18.4 LD |
15.3 |
18 |
| 2026 UX |
2026-Nov-07 |
19.6 LD |
9.7 |
39 |
| 2026 VK2 |
2026-Nov-08 |
2.3 LD |
4.9 |
3 |
| 2026 VB1 |
2026-Nov-08 |
8.9 LD |
14.2 |
23 |
| 2026 VY1 |
2026-Nov-08 |
4.2 LD |
13.6 |
19 |
| 2026 UG4 |
2026-Nov-08 |
6.7 LD |
7.2 |
33 |
| 2026 VW2 |
2026-Nov-08 |
8 LD |
14.7 |
16 |
| 2026 VO2 |
2026-Nov-08 |
4.7 LD |
7 |
9 |
| 2025 UF5 |
2026-Nov-09 |
18.9 LD |
1.9 |
10 |
| 2015 VH65 |
2026-Nov-10 |
9.7 LD |
8 |
10 |
| 2026 VT3 |
2026-Nov-10 |
4.3 LD |
9.8 |
13 |
| 2026 VK1 |
2026-Nov-10 |
9.6 LD |
9.1 |
15 |
| 2012 YD7 |
2026-Nov-10 |
18.6 LD |
7.5 |
49 |
| 2023 VF3 |
2026-Nov-11 |
8.5 LD |
8.8 |
19 |
| 2026 VY |
2026-Nov-11 |
18.4 LD |
6.5 |
19 |
| 2026 VX1 |
2026-Nov-11 |
8 LD |
4.3 |
10 |
| 2022 MP2 |
2026-Nov-13 |
19.8 LD |
3.8 |
23 |
| 2025 VG5 |
2026-Nov-13 |
18.2 LD |
4.9 |
16 |
| 2026 VO1 |
2026-Nov-13 |
9.9 LD |
14.3 |
38 |
| 2026 UY |
2026-Nov-14 |
19.7 LD |
4.3 |
64 |
| 2026 VQ2 |
2026-Nov-16 |
19.6 LD |
12.7 |
31 |
| 2026 VM3 |
2026-Nov-16 |
8.1 LD |
3.7 |
12 |
| 2023 VE6 |
2026-Nov-17 |
18.4 LD |
10.1 |
13 |
| 2022 VB2 |
2026-Nov-17 |
7.8 LD |
9 |
33 |
| 2012 VF46 |
2026-Nov-18 |
16.6 LD |
11.2 |
68 |
| 2019 WT1 |
2026-Nov-18 |
19.7 LD |
9.7 |
16 |
| 2018 NE1 |
2026-Nov-19 |
16.7 LD |
13.3 |
74 |
| 2026 TB84 |
2026-Nov-19 |
12.1 LD |
9.9 |
63 |
| 2025 CP1 |
2026-Nov-30 |
12.9 LD |
10.8 |
6 |
| 2019 XF2 |
2026-Dec-04 |
3.1 LD |
10.2 |
14 |
| 2023 XH3 |
2026-Dec-06 |
18.7 LD |
16.5 |
14 |
| 2020 XC3 |
2026-Dec-08 |
14.5 LD |
14.3 |
110 |
| 2016 NV |
2026-Dec-08 |
14.3 LD |
10.4 |
379 |
| 2010 VQ |
2026-Dec-12 |
4.6 LD |
4.3 |
10 |
| 2025 XN6 |
2026-Dec-12 |
6.9 LD |
12.2 |
5 |
| 2026 QQ8 |
2026-Dec-13 |
3.5 LD |
0.8 |
2 |
| 2026 LZ1 |
2026-Dec-14 |
14.4 LD |
11.2 |
36 |
| 2025 YN |
2026-Dec-18 |
18.3 LD |
13.1 |
21 |
| 2018 FQ4 |
2026-Dec-19 |
16.7 LD |
10.4 |
14 |
| 2021 PF7 |
2026-Dec-26 |
15.5 LD |
7.7 |
10 |
| 2019 AY3 |
2027-Jan-04 |
20 LD |
20 |
61 |
Notes: LD means
"Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance
between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256
AU.
| |
Cosmic Rays in the Atmosphere |
SPACE WEATHER BALLOON DATA: Almost once a week, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus fly space weather balloons to the stratosphere over California. These balloons are equipped with sensors that detect secondary cosmic rays, a form of radiation from space that can penetrate all the way down to Earth's surface. Our monitoring program has been underway without interruption for 10 years, resulting in a unique dataset of in situ atmospheric measurements.
Latest results (Nov. 2024): Atmospheric radiation is sharply decreasing in 2024. Our latest measurements in November registered a 10-year low:
What's going on? Ironically, the radiation drop is caused by increasing solar activity. Solar Cycle 25 has roared to life faster than forecasters expected. The sun's strengthening and increasingly tangled magnetic field repels cosmic rays from deep space. In addition, solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) sweep aside cosmic rays, causing sharp reductions called "Forbush Decreases." The two effects blend together to bring daily radiation levels down.
.Who cares? Cosmic rays are a surprisingly "down to Earth" form of space weather. They can alter the chemistry of the atmosphere, trigger lightning, and penetrate commercial airplanes. According to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan school of public health, crews of aircraft have higher rates of cancer than the general population. The researchers listed cosmic rays, irregular sleep habits, and chemical contaminants as leading risk factors. A number of controversial studies (#1, #2, #3, #4) go even further, linking cosmic rays with cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.
Technical notes: The radiation sensors onboard our helium balloons detect X-rays and gamma-rays in the energy range 10 keV to 20 MeV. These energies span the range of medical X-ray machines and airport security scanners.
Data points in the graph labeled "Stratospheric Radiation" correspond to the peak of the Regener-Pfotzer maximum, which lies about 67,000 feet above central California. When cosmic rays crash into Earth's atmosphere, they produce a spray of secondary particles that is most intense at the entrance to the stratosphere. Physicists Eric Regener and Georg Pfotzer discovered the maximum using balloons in the 1930s and it is what we are measuring today.
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The
official U.S. government space weather bureau |
| |
The
first place to look for information about sundogs,
pillars, rainbows and related phenomena. |
| |
Researchers
call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO
is the most advanced solar observatory ever. |
| |
3D
views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial
Relations Observatory |
| |
Realtime
and archival images of the Sun from SOHO. |
| |
information about sunspots based on the latest NOAA/USAF Active Region Summary |
| |
current counts of failed and deployed Starlink satellites from Jonathan's Space Page. See also, all satellite statistics. |
| |
Authoritative predictions of space junk and satellite re-entries |
| |
from
the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| |
fun to read, but should be taken with a grain of salt! Forecasts looking ahead more than a few days are often wrong. |
| |
from the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| |
the
underlying science of space weather |
 |
Got a chipped or cracked windshield that prevents you from seeing space weather events while driving? Get windshield replacement from SR Windows & Glass with free mobile auto glass service anywhere in the Phoenix area. |
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