Be sure to mark Saturday, October 17 in your calendars, folks, and gather your coins and folding money for this bargain-bonanza of a chance to stock up on all your fall and winter sci-fi reading! Come one, come all! And don’t forget to bring with you a few shopping bags!
A CME IS COMING, AURORAS LIKELY
There will be no moon that evening! Perfect chance to see auroras!
Space Weather News for Oct. 6, 2026
Free Space Weather Newsletter
A CME IS COMING, AURORAS LIKELY: New sunspot 4549 erupted this morning, hurling a full-halo CME straight toward Earth. Forecast models predict it will arrive on Oct. 9th, possibly sparking a G2-class geomagnetic storm. The timing is perfect for aurora photographers as a nearly new Moon keeps rural skies dark. Full story @ Spaceweather.com.
CME Impact Alerts: Would you like a text message when the CME arrives? Sign up for our Space Weather Alert Service.
Above: An Earth-directed CME emerges on Oct. 6th. It might not be the last. Sunspot 4549 has a delta-class magnetic field that harbors energy for X-class solar flares.
Photos from 2025
OCTOBER 2026
OCTOBER 2026
https://spaceweather.com/?tab=news
CHINA’S SPACE STATION IS GETTING A MINI-MOON: China’s Tiangong space station is currently making a series of evening flybys over the USA. First-time observers are almost always surprised by how bright it is. Only a handful of stars outshine it.
Next year, it might resemble a double star.
The Tiangong space station flying over Ballico, California. Credit: Richard Sears
The China Manned Space Agency has announced plans to launch a 2-meter space telescope named “Xuntian” in 2027 that will circle Earth alongside the station–a 15-ton ‘mini-Moon’ that can easily dock with Tiangong whenever it needs repairs or fuel. Hubble, which has been the target of complicated repair missions five times, never had this advantage.
Xuntian means “patrolling the heavens.” The telescope will be smaller than Hubble, but its field of view is 300 times wider. Over a 10-year mission, it will map about 40% of the sky at Hubble-class resolution.
China also plans to expand the station with new modules and solar panels, turning the “T” into a “double-T” and doubling its mass to 180 tons. A spacewalk by two taikonauts on Aug. 28th did significant prep work: Repairs to solar panels and new debris shields stabilized the power grid for additional construction. When the ISS is deorbited in 2030-31, Tiangong will be the largest permanent outpost in orbit.
Tiangong is easy to see if you know when to look. Sign up for Backyard Astronomy Alerts to receive realtime text messages when the Chinese space station is flying overhead.
THE SUN IS ABOUT TO LOSE ITS MEMORY: That’s the surprising conclusion of a new study by researchers at the University of Oulu in Finland. The team examined 180 years of the aa index (a record of geomagnetic activity stretching back to 1844) and found that after odd-numbered solar cycles, the sun forgets what happened in the past.
We’re approaching such a moment now, as Solar Cycle 25 descends from its peak.
Their research begins with the little-known “Gnevyshev-Ohl rule.” Discovered in 1948, this rule says that solar cycles come in pairs, with the odd-numbered half stronger than the even. Take a look at this historical plot of sunspot numbers:
Once you notice the Gnevyshev-Ohl rule, you can’t unsee it. With only one exception in the past 180 years (Solar Cycles 22-23), odd cycles are always stronger than evens. The current pair, Cycles 24-25, definitely follow the rule.
SEPTEMBER 2026
OCTOBER 2026
Here are the most recent fanzines received by MonSFFA
Bill Burns sent me a lot of updates to his list of zines you can download from his site: https://efanzines.com
Space Weather News for Aug. 25, 2026
Free Space Weather Newsletter
LUNAR ECLIPSE AND CME IMPACT: There’s a lunar eclipse this week, and, in a rare coincidence, a CME might hit Earth while the Moon is in shadow. This sets the stage for a potential aurora-Moon photo-op. The eclipse will be visible from Coast to Coast in the USA. Full story and timetables @ Spaceweather.com.
CME Impact Alerts: Subscribers to our Space Weather Alert Service receive instant text messages when CMEs hit Earth
AUGUST 2026