Aurora, Taken by Dave N. on July 3, 2026 @ Santa Fe County, New Mexico
SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 07/04/2026
STRONG GEOMAGNETIC STORM–NOW! A strong G3-class geomagnetic storm is underway as Earth passes through the wake of a CME that struck on July 3rd. Observers in more than 30 US states are reporting auroras–some mixed with 4th of July fireworks.
This iPhone photo taken by Dave. N of Santa Fe County, New Mexico, shows auroras as far south as latitude +36N:
Sandy and Luna, 07/03/2026 – Jackie and Shadow’s nest with a view of the rising Sun and the Big Bear Valley Solar Observatory
The Eagles favorite view looks toward the East where the Sun rises. Sandy and Luna may have fledged 2 weeks earlier than sisters Sunny and Gizmo in the last brood. Sandy was accidentally knocked off her perch by little brother Luna. Then Luna had to spend the night alone and fledged the next day.
The timing may have been turned to the highest good. They both made their way back home where they can use the safety of the nest as their base of operations. Eating fish on a branch is a little tricky. They only have to call on Jackie for home delivery.
They have the best accommodations (with room service). They know they can fly and make their way back, so they are free to come and go.
SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 07/04/2026
GEOMAGNETIC STORM UNDERWAY: A G2-class (Moderate) geomagnetic storm is underway as Earth passes through the wake of a CME that struck on July 3rd. There is a chance that the storm could escalate to category G3 (Strong). If that happens, auroras would be come visible in rural areas at mid-latitudes.
SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 07/03/2026
ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT SOLAR FLARE: Active sunspot 4479 erupted again today, July 3rd (1811 UTC), producing an M6.8-class solar flare. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash:
Above: SDO image of the X-flare with a photo of sunspot 4479 inset. Credit: Sylvain Weiller
SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: 07/01/2026
EARTH-DIRECTED X-FLARE AND CME: As predicted, sunspot 4479 erupted today, June 30th, producing an X1.1-class solar flare. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the extreme ultraviolet flash: movie.
Note: The jiggling of the sun in this movie is not caused by the X-flare. Calibration offsets were underway during the flare. Credit: NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory.
ANOTHER X-FLARE: Old sunspot AR3664 isn’t as big as it used to be, but it is still very active. On May 29th (1437 UT), it produced an X1.4-class solar flare.
Dusk Comet Nishimura, Taken by Petr Horalek on September 17, 2023 @ Lysa Mount, Sabinov, Slovakia
SPACEWEATHER.COM NEWS: September 18, 2023
SOME COMETS LIKE IT HOT: Yesterday, Sept. 17th, Comet Nishimura (C/2023 P1) made a close approach to the sun deep inside the orbit of Mercury (0.22 AU). The comet survived. Petr Horalek photographed it emerging intact from Mount Lysa in Sabinov, Slovakia:
Earth-facing Sunspot 3363
Greetings Kin,
NOAA reports an M6.8 class coronal event today. I don’t see the sunspot number in the report to see if it came from the huge Earth-facing AR3363. Yesterday’s CME came from a smaller spot on the lower right limb. CME’s are forecast with 40-45% chance of radio frequency disruptions in the higher atmosphere. Impacts are expected to reach Earth from the two from July 12-13, 2023.
I would have expected the size/shape of the sunspot to change after a projection, so we may yet to know what AR3363 might do.
Below, the update is included above the original Spaceweather post.
Debra, 9 Eagle/MEN
Sunspots: 07/11/2023 – Spaceweather.com
GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH: Minor G1-class geomagnetic storms are possible on July 13th when a CME is expected to pass close to Earth. NASA and NOAA models of the CME give different results. NASA predicts a glancing blow, NOAA a clean miss. Either way, a close encounter could disturb Earth’s magnetic field and produce high latitude auroras.
Hedgerow Prominence, Taken by Michael Borman on April 17, 2023 @ Evansville, Indiana, USA
A SLOW-MOVING CME APPROACHES: Most CMEs take only a few days to cross the distance between the Sun and Earth. A CME that left the sun on April 15th might take a whole week. NOAA forecasters say the unusually slow-moving CME could hit Earth’s magnetic field on April 22nd, producing, at most, minor geomagnetic storms.
