This is an AI Free Zone: AI writing is everywhere -- except here. Spaceweather.com is written 100% by Dr. Tony Phillips, a carbon-based lifeform with 30 yrs of forecasting experience. If you find a mistake, rest assured it was made by a real human being.
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A HOLE IN THE SUN'S ATMOSPHERE: A canyon-shaped hole has opened in the sun's atmosphere, and it is spewing a stream of solar wind directly toward Earth. G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible when the solar wind arrives later today. Aurora alerts: SMS Text.
APOPHIS IS COMING--A FRIDAY THE 13TH COUNTDOWN: When astronomers discovered asteroid Apophis in 2004, they felt a jolt of fear. Early calculations gave it a 1-in-37 chance of hitting Earth on April 13, 2029--then the highest impact probability ever for a sizable asteroid. Naturally, it would arrive on Friday the 13th.
Years and thousands of observations later, we know that Apophis will miss, but by so little that watching it will feel like a close call. The 340-meter space rock will slice through Earth's shell of geosynchronous satellites so close that 2 billion people will be able to see it with their naked eyes.
Days may not be the best unit for this kind of countdown. Instead, let us count the Friday the 13ths. There are only four left--and the last one is the flyby itself.
Friday the 13th #1 (Nov. 13, 2026): Nobody can see Apophis. The asteroid has been hiding in the sun's glare since 2021. NASA's OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft is chasing the asteroid, and the European Space Agency is building a probe of its own, named Ramses.
Friday the 13th #2 (Aug. 13, 2027): Telescopes on Earth have just found Apophis again--a faint magnitude-21 speck. Ramses and Japan's DESTINY+ probe are in final testing.
Friday the 13th #3 (Oct. 13, 2028): The chase is on! Ramses and DESTINY+ launched together on a Japanese H3 rocket in April 2028. At least three spacecraft are now converging on Apophis.
Friday the 13th #4 (April 13, 2029): Apophis arrives. Cruising alongside the asteroid, Ramses will release two CubeSats--one will try to land--while DESTINY+ may zip past for a close-up of its own. Earth's gravity will have a powerful effect on Apophis, bending its orbit and possibly causing quakes and landslides on the asteroid's surface. OSIRIS-APEX arrives two months later to survey the aftermath.
During the flyby, sky watchers on the nightside of Earth (Europe, Africa, and western Asia) will be able to look up and see Apophis shining like a star of magnitude 3.1. That's about as bright as stars in the Big Dipper. Moving 42 degrees per hour (the width of a full Moon every minute), Apophis will visibly drift against the background stars, a sight no human has ever seen without a telescope.
Stay tuned for a close call.
CHRISTMAS IN JULY: Are you looking for a far-out gift? Check out the Earth to Sky Store. It's filled with unique items that have flown to the edge of space onboard cosmic ray research balloons.
Carried aloft by giant helium balloons, these unique gifts have flown above 99.7% of Earth's atmosphere, experiencing space-like blasts of cosmic rays, extreme cold, and a wild ride parachuting back to Earth after the balloon explodes. Even Amazon doesn't carry items this far out.
Enter coupon code "JULY" at checkout for a 10% Christmas-in-July discount.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
All sales support hands-on STEM education
THE RAZOR-THIN DUST TRAIL OF COMET 10P: On July 20th, Earth passed through the orbital plane of Comet 10P/Tempel. During the crossing, the comet's dust trail narrowed like the rings of Saturn. Michael Jäger and Gerald Rhemann photographed the phenomenon using an 8-inch telescope:
"The comet's prominent dust trail was clearly visible," says Jäger.
Note the distinction: trail vs. tail. The narrow structure in this photo is a trail--a pancake of gravel-sized debris that has settled into the comet's orbit over thousands of years. This differs from a tail, which is a young spray of fresh gas and dust in many directions.
Comet 10P's razor-thin trail was discovered by NASA's Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) in 1983--one of the first ever found. Catching it with a backyard telescope is a rare feat.
Realtime Comet 10P Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Aurora Photo Gallery
Free: Spaceweather.com Newsletter
Realtime Space Weather Photo Gallery
Free: Space Weather 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 July 22, 2026, the network reported 6 fireballs.
(6 sporadics)
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 July 22, 2026 there were 2349 potentially hazardous asteroids.
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Recent
& Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid |
Date(UT) |
Miss Distance |
Velocity (km/s) |
Diameter (m) |
| 2026 OW |
2026-Jul-17 |
19.8 LD |
10.8 |
28 |
| 2025 PN7 |
2026-Jul-17 |
11.6 LD |
2.6 |
19 |
| 2026 NW |
2026-Jul-17 |
17.5 LD |
3.1 |
25 |
| 2026 NF |
2026-Jul-18 |
10.9 LD |
8.6 |
25 |
| 2026 NO |
2026-Jul-18 |
11 LD |
15.4 |
70 |
| 2025 MB90 |
2026-Jul-19 |
5 LD |
9.6 |
54 |
| 2026 OH1 |
2026-Jul-19 |
1.3 LD |
12 |
22 |
| 2026 NQ1 |
2026-Jul-19 |
15.3 LD |
28.4 |
105 |
| 2026 OZ |
2026-Jul-20 |
5.6 LD |
9.4 |
13 |
| 2026 OY |
2026-Jul-20 |
2.5 LD |
7.8 |
7 |
| 2026 NB1 |
2026-Jul-21 |
17.7 LD |
8.4 |
72 |
| 2020 OM |
2026-Jul-21 |
9.1 LD |
9.5 |
15 |
| 2026 OA1 |
2026-Jul-21 |
12.5 LD |
7.8 |
68 |
| 2026 OU |
2026-Jul-23 |
9.6 LD |
6.3 |
30 |
| 2026 OD1 |
2026-Jul-23 |
17.9 LD |
8 |
50 |
| 2026 KU3 |
2026-Jul-24 |
7.7 LD |
8.6 |
80 |
| 2026 OQ |
2026-Jul-25 |
11.4 LD |
5.7 |
14 |
| 2026 OD |
2026-Jul-25 |
4.6 LD |
9.5 |
74 |
| 2020 UR1 |
2026-Jul-25 |
18.8 LD |
7.6 |
28 |
| 2026 OB1 |
2026-Jul-25 |
2.3 LD |
22.3 |
21 |
| 2015 BF |
2026-Jul-26 |
17.3 LD |
12.5 |
17 |
| 2026 OL |
2026-Jul-27 |
15.9 LD |
15.8 |
90 |
| 2026 OR |
2026-Jul-28 |
10.4 LD |
10.4 |
16 |
| 2025 OW |
2026-Jul-30 |
16.1 LD |
20.1 |
70 |
| 2026 OS |
2026-Aug-01 |
3.1 LD |
5.8 |
9 |
| 2024 RM10 |
2026-Aug-05 |
13.6 LD |
7.5 |
24 |
| 2026 OE1 |
2026-Aug-07 |
7.6 LD |
10.2 |
50 |
| 173561 |
2026-Aug-09 |
13.1 LD |
16.2 |
756 |
| 2019 NY2 |
2026-Aug-10 |
6.6 LD |
9.6 |
195 |
| 2013 QC11 |
2026-Aug-13 |
14.5 LD |
19 |
172 |
| 2026 NY |
2026-Aug-13 |
12.4 LD |
8.2 |
101 |
| 2025 AL2 |
2026-Aug-16 |
2.2 LD |
12.4 |
100 |
| 2025 DU7 |
2026-Aug-19 |
8.7 LD |
2.9 |
5 |
| 2025 FY11 |
2026-Aug-20 |
19.2 LD |
3.5 |
6 |
| 2023 RL |
2026-Aug-25 |
12.9 LD |
4.8 |
7 |
| 523609 |
2026-Aug-27 |
18.5 LD |
22.7 |
441 |
| 2025 QM9 |
2026-Aug-28 |
15.2 LD |
11.1 |
20 |
| 221455 |
2026-Aug-28 |
9.4 LD |
19 |
443 |
| 2017 BP31 |
2026-Aug-28 |
11.2 LD |
20.5 |
382 |
| 2007 EK |
2026-Aug-30 |
10.9 LD |
9.1 |
5 |
| 2017 RH16 |
2026-Aug-31 |
8.7 LD |
12.1 |
21 |
| 2025 CL3 |
2026-Sep-01 |
9.6 LD |
13.5 |
30 |
| 2018 RD2 |
2026-Sep-01 |
19.5 LD |
9.6 |
14 |
| 2025 QV5 |
2026-Sep-02 |
14.2 LD |
7.3 |
12 |
| 2020 YA5 |
2026-Sep-06 |
19.5 LD |
10.4 |
47 |
| 2022 RK |
2026-Sep-06 |
13.7 LD |
8.6 |
24 |
| 2024 RV12 |
2026-Sep-09 |
5.6 LD |
12.1 |
22 |
| 2025 RQ2 |
2026-Sep-11 |
17.5 LD |
12.1 |
17 |
| 2010 FX9 |
2026-Sep-14 |
9.4 LD |
11.1 |
55 |
| 2025 SC |
2026-Sep-14 |
19.2 LD |
1.9 |
3 |
| 2024 RP12 |
2026-Sep-16 |
17.9 LD |
6.6 |
51 |
| 2026 NT2 |
2026-Sep-17 |
16.1 LD |
12.5 |
279 |
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 |
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The
first place to look for information about sundogs,
pillars, rainbows and related phenomena. |
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Researchers
call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO
is the most advanced solar observatory ever. |
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3D
views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial
Relations Observatory |
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Realtime
and archival images of the Sun from SOHO. |
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information about sunspots based on the latest NOAA/USAF Active Region Summary |
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current counts of failed and deployed Starlink satellites from Jonathan's Space Page. See also, all satellite statistics. |
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Authoritative predictions of space junk and satellite re-entries |
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from
the NOAA Space Environment Center |
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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 |
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the
underlying science of space weather |
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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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