Sun news May 11: M5.8 flare erupts, CME may glance Earth

Today’s top story: The sun fired its strongest flare in days! An M5.8 erupted from AR4436 near the northeast limb. The blast sent a fast coronal mass ejection (CME) racing into space. It also triggered an R2 (moderate) radio blackout that disrupted HF communications across the sunlit eastern Africa sector on May 10. A Type II radio burst accompanied the eruption. Estimated shock speeds ranged from 650 to 1,736 km/s. That confirms a fast, powerful pressure wave racing ahead of the CME. The bulk of the ejecta was flung well east of the sun-Earth line. However, a faint partial halo component is visible in SOHO LASCO C2 imagery. Initial modeling suggests a glancing blow could reach Earth early on May 13. If it arrives, it could open the door for G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm conditions and enhanced aurora. AR4432 kept up its steady drumbeat of C-class flares. It accounted for nearly all the remaining activity. Earth’s magnetic field stayed quiet, with the solar wind settling back toward background conditions as a previous coronal hole stream faded. Even so, aurora watchers should stay alert for midweek!

Past 24 hours of sun news

(11 UTC May 10 – 11 UTC May 11)

Flare activity

Over the past day, solar activity reached high levels. In total, the sun fired 10 flares: 1 M-class, 8 C-class, and 1 B-class.

• Strongest flare: M5.8 from AR4436 (N19E65), peaking at 13:19 UTC on May 10. It triggered an R2 (moderate) radio blackout, disrupting HF communications across eastern Africa. A Type II radio burst with shock speeds of 650–1,736 km/s confirmed a fast CME launch.
• Lead flare producer: AR4432 generated the vast majority of the remaining activity. It fired 8 C-class flares and 1 B-class event. Meanwhile, AR4436 contributed the single, powerful M5.8.

Sunspot regions

The Earth-facing solar disk showed 5 numbered active regions.

Blasts from the sun?

A significant partial halo CME accompanied the M5.8 flare from AR4436. It first appeared at 13:48 UTC on May 10, erupting off the east limb in SOHO LASCO C2 imagery. The bulk of the ejecta aimed well east of the sun-Earth line. However, a faint partial halo component is visible, suggesting a potential Earth-directed wing. Initial WSA-ENLIL modeling points to a possible glancing blow arriving at Earth early UTC on May 13. If the Earth-directed component is confirmed, Kp could reach 5, indicating G1 (minor) storm potential. However, significant uncertainty remains. The CME may deliver only a weak disturbance or miss entirely.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind

Solar wind conditions reflected the waning influence of a positive-polarity coronal hole high-speed stream. Speeds declined from roughly 460 km/s early in the period to near 380–400 km/s by its end. The total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) stayed weak, reaching only 4.6–6 nT.

Bz and magnetic coupling

The Bz component remained near neutral and variable. It fluctuated between roughly +3 and ?3 nT. Those swings were too weak to drive any significant geomagnetic response. Consequently, Earth’s magnetic shield stayed firmly closed.

Earth’s magnetic field

Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field stayed quiet (Kp 0–2). No geomagnetic storm conditions occurred. The weak and variable IMF kept conditions calm throughout. No sustained southward Bz developed.

What’s ahead? Sun–Earth forecast

Flare activity forecast

Forecasters expect low levels to continue over the next three days. A chance (45%) exists for M-class (R1–R2) flares, primarily from AR4432 and AR4436. A slight chance (5%) for an isolated X-class event also remains.

AR4432 is approaching the west limb but retains its beta-gamma complexity. AR4436, the confirmed return of former AR4419, is rotating further onto the disk. As it reaches more geoeffective longitudes, it deserves close watching.

Geomagnetic activity forecast

• May 11 (Sunday): Expect quiet-to-unsettled conditions (Kp 0–3). Isolated unsettled intervals are possible from weak coronal hole influences. No significant aurora enhancement expected beyond the usual auroral zone: Alaska, northern Canada, Iceland, and northern Scandinavia.
• May 12 (Monday): Expect mostly quiet conditions (Kp 0–2) as background solar wind prevails. However, a mild high-speed stream from a mid-latitude coronal hole may arrive late in the day. That could introduce unsettled-to-active conditions toward day’s end.
• May 13 (Tuesday): The most interesting day ahead. A potential glancing blow from the May 10 CME could arrive early UTC. It may combine with coronal hole effects. A chance of G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm intervals (Kp 5) exists. If storm conditions develop, aurora could reach Seattle, Minneapolis, Edinburgh, and the Scottish Highlands. Quiet-to-unsettled conditions are more likely if the CME component is weaker than modeled.
• May 14 (Wednesday): A new coronal hole fast wind stream may begin arriving later in the day. A slight chance of G1 (minor) storm intervals exists as solar wind speeds ramp up again.

Sun news May 10: Quiet sun as coronal hole winds fade

Today’s top story: The sun took a breather over the past day. Activity held at low to moderate levels as AR4432 peppered the X-ray monitors with a steady stream of C-class (common) flares, 18 in all, without mustering anything stronger. The strongest was a C3.8 at 09:32 UTC on May 10. Earth’s magnetic field stayed calm. Our planet remained under the waning influence of a coronal hole high-speed stream. Solar wind speeds gradually eased to moderate levels. A faint coronal mass ejection (CME) from May 6 might deliver a glancing blow today. But confidence is low. Any aurora-producing effects would likely be minor.

Past 24 hours of sun news

(11 UTC May 9 – 11 UTC May 10)

Flare activity

Over the past day, solar activity held at low levels. In total, the sun fired 18 C-class flares. No M-class or X-class flares occurred.

• Strongest flare: C3.8 from sunspot region AR4432, peaking at 9:32 UTC on May 10. As a C-class event, it triggered no radio blackout.
• Lead flare producer: AR4432 dominated almost entirely. It fired 17 of the 18 flares, all C flares. Meanwhile, newcomer AR4436 contributed the remaining C1.4 at 6:32 UTC on May 10.

Sunspot regions

The Earth-facing solar disk showed 5 numbered active regions. AR4432 (beta-gamma) continued as the most active region on the disk. It developed additional middle spots and continued to grow. Notably, it maintains some mixed magnetic structure. As a result, it remains the region most likely to produce an M-class event. AR4436 (beta) received its official number during the period. This returning region sits near the northeast limb. The remaining three numbered regions carry simpler alpha or beta configurations. They were mostly stable or in decline. None produced notable flaring.

Blasts from the sun?

Available coronagraph imagery showed no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the past day. But the faint CME from May 6 might deliver a glancing blow today, with emphasis on the might. Any effects would likely be limited to isolated unsettled intervals.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind

Solar wind speeds gradually declined through the period. The coronal hole high-speed stream that we’ve been experiencing – and which normally contributes to aurora possibilities (but not this time; see Bz below) – continued to weaken. Speeds ranged from roughly 450–550 km/s, with a clear downward trend. By the end of the period, conditions approached near-normal levels. The total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) stayed weak overall.

Bz and magnetic coupling

The Bz component pointed mostly neutral to northward throughout the period. Only brief southward dips occurred. A northward Bz effectively shields Earth from solar wind energy. That explains why geomagnetic conditions stayed quiet – and auroras prospects stayed relatively low – despite the elevated wind speeds. Consequently, no auroral displays were reported.

Earth’s magnetic field

Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field stayed quiet (Kp 0–2). No geomagnetic storm conditions occurred. The northward Bz and declining solar wind speeds kept conditions calm throughout.

What’s ahead? Sun–Earth forecast

Flare activity forecast

Forecasters expect low levels to continue through May 12. C-class flaring from AR4432 should persist. A chance (40%) exists for isolated M-class (R1–R2) flares, primarily from AR4432 given its beta-gamma complexity and continued growth.

In addition, AR4436 bears watching. It previously produced M-class activity from behind the limb. As it rotates further onto the disk, forecasters can better assess its true complexity. A slight chance (5%) for an X-class event also remains.

Geomagnetic activity forecast

• May 10 (Saturday): Expect quiet-to-unsettled conditions (Kp 0–3) as the positive-polarity coronal hole stream continues to wane. A slight chance of active to G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm intervals (Kp 4–5) exists if the faint CME from May 6 makes contact. But confidence is low. If G1 conditions briefly appear, aurora could reach Anchorage, Reykjavik, and Tromsø.
• May 11 (Sunday): Expect quiet-to-unsettled conditions (Kp 0–3) as the coronal hole influence fades and solar wind returns toward background levels. No significant geomagnetic drivers are at play.
• May 12 (Monday): Expect quiet-to-unsettled conditions (Kp 0–3) to continue. A small mid-latitude coronal hole may produce a mild solar wind boost. But the stream should largely miss Earth.

Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd and space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl of NOAA’s Spaceweather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, as they revisit the biggest solar storm in 2 decades. The May 10-11, 2024, event brought auroras to skies around the world. What did we learn from that storm? How did our technology — and especially our power grids— hold up? And are we ready for the next big solar storm? Plus … Shawn also explains how space weather forecasting could play a key role as humans head back to the moon and to Mars. Watch in the player above or on YouTube.

Sun news May 9: Returning powerhouse shows its nose

Today’s top story: Sun-watchers’ eyes are turning to the northeast solar horizon. The sunspot region formerly known as AR4419 – continuously carried westward by the sun’s rotation – has finished its journey on the sun’s far side and has started coming back into view. And this former powerhouse looks impressive already. Even the small portion now visible appears larger in extent than all the other sunspot regions on the sun’s visible disk now. Yesterday, this as-yet-unnumbered region fired an M flare from the far side! But, over the past day, it remained dormant, with no flares. Did it keep its complex magnetic setup, the same setup that let it fire two X flares on a single day when we last saw it cross the sun’s visible face? We don’t know yet. Soon we’ll see. Stay with us!

Past 24 hours of sun news

(11 UTC May 8 – 11 UTC May 9)

Flare activity

Over the past day, solar activity held at low levels. Only C-class and B-class flares occurred. But overall flare production increased notably. In total, the sun fired 17 flares: 16 C-class (common) and 1 B-class (weak).

• Strongest flare: C2.7 from AR4432 in the northwest, peaking at 20:21 UTC on May 8.
• Lead flare producer: AR4432 was not just the lead producer. It was the only producer. This single sunspot region fired all 18 flares of the period: 17 C-class and 1 B-class.

Sunspot regions

Currently, the sun shows 5 numbered active regions on its visible side. Notably, AR4432 continued to grow over the past day. It gained a gamma component and now shows a beta-gamma magnetic complexity. That upgrade boosts its potential for stronger flares. The remaining regions on the visible disk carry beta or simpler configurations.

Blasts from the sun?

Available coronagraph imagery showed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) tied to the M flare from yesterday’s update. But the CMEs weren’t directed toward Earth. No new Earth-directed CMEs appeared over the past day, either.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind

Solar wind speeds continued at moderate-high levels throughout the period. Fast solar wind from a coronal hole combined with a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) drove the elevated speeds. But effects then started to wane. Meanwhile, the total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) dropped from strong to weak levels.

Bz and magnetic coupling

The Bz component stayed weak during the past day. It shifted between south and north. Those conditions were not ideal for auroral displays. Currently, at the time of this writing, the Bz has turned slightly northward, sitting just above the zero level. Tough luck, aurora-watchers!

Earth’s magnetic field

Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field ranged from unsettled-to-quiet levels (Kp 1–3). Specifically, the CIR and fast solar wind kept the Kp index at level 3 for three consecutive three-hour synoptic periods. Since then, conditions have eased. Currently, the Kp index sits slightly above level 1.

Sun news May 8: Bam! M flare fires from far side

Bam! The sun surprised us with an M flare from its far side! The fiery northeast horizon we’ve been watching in recent days delivered the M2.6 flare at 15:14 UTC on May 7. The eruption clearly originated from the sun’s far side, just around the corner in the northeast. So the real strength was surely larger than the registered M2.6. The resulting blob of solar stuff isn’t heading toward Earth, given its far-side location. But gorgeous prominences danced during the blast. Is this a preview of the return of powerhouse sunspot region AR4419? We’ll see. Stay with us!

Past 24 hours of sun news

(11 UTC May 7 – 11 UTC May 8)

Flare activity

Over the past day, solar activity jumped to moderate levels with the production of an isolated M-class flare. In total, the sun produced 7 flares: 1 M-class (moderate), 5 C-class (common), and 1 B-class (weak).

• Strongest flare: M2.6 from an incoming region on the northeast, not yet numbered. It peaked at 15:14 UTC on May 7. The blast triggered an R1 (minor) radio blackout over the mid-Atlantic.
• Lead flare producer: The incoming, unnamed newcomer topped the list. It fired 5 of the period’s 7 flares. These included 4 C-class events and the M-class blast.

Sunspot regions

Currently, the sun shows 4 numbered active regions on its Earth-facing side. AR4432 showed slight growth during the period. But all regions on the visible disk carry beta or simpler magnetic configurations. In other words, the currently numbered regions hold simple magnetic setups for now. The real action is coming from the unnumbered newcomer in the northeast. We’ll be able to see its magnetic configuration when the sun’s rotation carries it into better view.

Blasts from the sun?

Available coronagraph imagery showed non-Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the period, from the M flare.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind

Solar wind speeds climbed to moderate-high levels throughout the period. Fast solar wind from a coronal hole arrived and combined with a co-rotating interaction region (CIR). Together, they drove a noticeable increase in space weather activity. Meanwhile, the total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) jumped to strong levels.

Bz and magnetic coupling

The Bz component pointed almost entirely northward through the period. Only slight, weak southward peaks occurred. Consequently, that shut the door on any auroral displays. But, at the time of this writing, the Bz has turned strongly southward. That could open the door for geomagnetic coupling and potential aurora activity in the hours ahead.

Earth’s magnetic field

Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field jumped from very quiet to unsettled levels (Kp 0–3). The arrival of the CIR and fast solar wind drove the change. Currently, the Kp index sits slightly above level 2.

Sun news May 7: Strong activity continued on the northeast

The fiery activity we’ve been observing in the northeast continued throughout the past day. Filament eruptions and prominences danced along the entire northeast horizon. Experts say this activity heralds the return of powerful sunspot region AR4419, which has been traveling around the far side of our star. When it was last on the Earth-facing sun, this region fired a barrage of powerful flares, including 2 X-class flares on April 24. We’ve not seen an X flare since then. Will AR4419 have the same potency this time around? We should be able to start assessing its potential when it moves into view around May 8. Stay tuned to see what this returning hero has in store!

Past 24 hours of sun news

(11 UTC May 6 – 11 UTC May 7)

Flare activity

Over the past day, solar activity remained at low levels. The sun continued producing only C-class (common) and B-class (weak) flares. In total, the sun fired 8 flares: 2 C-class and 6 B-class.

• Strongest flare: C4.5 from a newcomer in the northeast, not yet numbered. It peaked at 2:15 UTC on May 7.
• Lead flare producer: Once again, a tie at the top! This time AR4428 and AR4432 each fired 2 B-class flares.

Sunspot regions

Currently, the sun shows 5 numbered active regions on its Earth-facing side. Notably, AR4429 lost its gamma component. It now carries a simpler beta magnetic complexity. The remaining sunspot regions hold beta or simpler configurations. As a result, all regions on the visible disk carry simple setups for now.

Blasts from the sun?

Available coronagraph imagery showed no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the period.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind

Solar wind speeds averaged moderate-low levels throughout the period. The coronal hole high-speed stream effects continued to wane. Meanwhile, the total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) stayed at weak levels.

Bz and magnetic coupling

The Bz component pointed completely northward through the entire period. Consequently, that shut the door on any auroral displays.

Earth’s magnetic field

Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field stayed at very quiet levels (Kp 0–1). Currently, the Kp index sits slightly above level 0. It does not get much quieter than this.

Sun news May 6: Fiery activity coming from the northeast

While activity on the Earth-facing solar disk remains low, the northeast solar horizon told a very different story over the past day. Lifting filament eruptions and prominences danced along the entire northeast limb (edge). Forecasters think this activity might come from the former active region AR4419, which fired multiple X flares when it was last on the Earth-facing side of our star. Having passed round the sun’s far side, this region could start to reappear in the northeast around May 8. Stay tuned!

Past 24 hours of sun news

(11 UTC May 5 – 11 UTC May 6)

Flare activity

Over the past day, solar activity held at low levels. Only C-class (common) and B-class (weak) flares occurred. In total, the sun fired 9 flares: 8 C-class and 1 B-class.

• Strongest flare: C1.8 from AR4425, peaking at 14:12 UTC on May 5.
• Lead flare producer: A tie at the top! AR4431 and AR4425 each fired 3 C-class flares.

Sunspot regions

The sun continued to show 8 numbered active regions on its Earth-facing side today. Notably, AR4429 developed a gamma component. It now shows a beta-gamma magnetic complexity. That upgrade opens up chances for stronger flares. The remaining sunspot regions hold beta or simpler configurations.

Blasts from the sun?

Available coronagraph imagery showed no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the period.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind

Solar wind speeds continued at moderate-low levels. The coronal hole high-speed stream effects started to wane. Meanwhile, the total interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) dropped from strong to weak levels.

Bz and magnetic coupling

The Bz component pointed completely northward through the entire period. That shut the door on any auroral displays.

Earth’s magnetic field

Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field stayed at quiet levels (Kp 0–2). Currently, the Kp index sits slightly above level 0.

Sun news May 5: Surprise G2 storm hits overnight

Surprise! A G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storm arrived around 20:32 UTC yesterday. We noted yesterday a slight chance of G1 (minor) storming, but the disturbance was much stronger than expected. The reason? Scientists aren’t sure! It might have been due to the arrival of a blob of solar stuff hurled into space by the sun last week. Combined with fast solar wind from a coronal hole, the ingredients lined up for a stronger punch than forecasters anticipated. More G1 conditions may occur throughout the rest of today and into tomorrow, so auroral displays are possible at high latitudes. Share your aurora photos with us!

Past 24 hours of sun news

(11 UTC May 4 – 11 UTC May 5)

Flare activity

Over the past day, solar activity returned to low levels, with only C-class (common) flares. However, flare production picked up slightly. In total, the sun fired 11 C-class flares, compared to yesterday’s 3.

• Strongest flare: C6.0 from AR4424, peaking at 5:27 UTC on May 5.
• Lead flare producer: A three-way tie! AR4432, AR4424 and AR4425 each fired 3 C-class flares.

Sunspot regions

The sun shows 8 numbered active regions on its Earth-facing side today. Notably, all 8 sunspot regions hold beta or simpler configurations. As a result, the risk of strong flares remains low for now.

Blasts from the sun?

Available coronagraph imagery showed no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during the period.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind

Solar wind speeds averaged at moderate-low levels. The coronal hole high-speed stream continued to influence conditions around Earth. Meanwhile, the total interplanetary magnetic field peaked at strong levels. That elevated field strength played a key role in driving the geomagnetic storm.

Bz and magnetic coupling

The Bz component pointed mostly southward during this period. Crucially, those southward dips were sustained from 15 UTC on May 4 through 6 UTC this morning. That is a long stretch with Earth’s magnetic shield held open. As a result, solar wind energy poured in and fueled the G2 storm. At the time of this writing, the Bz component has shifted slightly northward.

Earth’s magnetic field

Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field ranged from unsettled to geomagnetic storming levels (Kp 3–6). Specifically, the G2 (moderate) storm threshold of Kp 6 was reached at 20:32 UTC on May 4. It held for one three-hour period. Then conditions eased to G1 (minor) at Kp 5 starting at 0 UTC on May 5. Auroras were likely visible at high latitudes during these storm intervals.

Sun news May 4: M1.8 flare ends the quiet spell

The sun broke out of its activity lull overnight! AR4424 fired an M1.8 flare (moderate) at 1:13 UTC on May 4, ending a several-day run of only C (common) flares. The blast triggered an R1 (minor) radio blackout that briefly disrupted high-frequency communications over the Pacific and eastern Asia.

Past 24 hours of sun news

(11 UTC May 3 – 11 UTC May 4)

Flare activity

Over the past day, solar activity rose to moderate levels thanks to the M1.8 from AR4424. However, overall output was light. In total, the sun fired just 3 flares: 1 M-class and 2 C-class.

• Strongest flare: M1.8 from AR4424, peaking at 1:13 UTC on May 4. Given its position near the western limb, any ejecta would have aimed largely away from Earth.
• Lead flare producer: AR4424 fired 2 of the 3 flares, including the only M-class event. In addition, AR4430 chipped in a C1.3 at 18:51 UTC on May 3.

Sunspot regions

The Earth-facing solar disk showed 10 numbered active regions. Notably, none carried complex magnetic setups. All ten hold beta or simpler configurations.

Blasts from the sun?

No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) appeared in coronagraph imagery during the period.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind

Solar wind speeds continued to ease to background levels as the coronal hole high-speed stream slowly waned. The total interplanetary magnetic field stayed weak overall.

Bz and magnetic coupling

The Bz component was weak and variable, bouncing between northward and southward. Those southward dips were not sustained enough to drive significant auroral activity.

Earth’s magnetic field

Over the past day, Earth’s magnetic field ranged from quiet to unsettled (Kp 1–3). Auroras stayed confined to the highest latitudes: Alaska, northern Canada, Iceland and northern Scandinavia.

The sun in recent days

Earlier sun images

Sun images from our community

More sun images from our community

We sometimes feature sun images obtained using hydrogen-alpha filters. Read why.

Bottom line: Sun news for May 11, 2026: M5.8 flare erupts from AR4436! A fast CME may glance Earth on May 13. G1 storm and aurora possible midweek. Stay alert!

Submit your photos here.

View community photos here.

The post Sun news: M5.8 flare erupts, CME may glance Earth first appeared on EarthSky.

May brings not 1 but 2 full moons. And all month, the sky’s 2 brightest planets are heading toward a spectacular conjunction. Plus, Mars returns in earnest. In addition, May evenings offer a rare opportunity to picture yourself inside our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Join EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd for these unmissable sky events. Watch in the player above, or on YouTube.

Don’t miss the next unmissable night sky event. Sign up for our free newsletter for daily night sky updates, as well as the latest science news.

May evening planets: Start watching Venus and Jupiter!

Venus is the brightest planet in Earth’s sky. And Jupiter is second-brightest. About every three to five years, these two blazing worlds come together in Earth’s sky in a way that’s truly spectacular. They’re gearing up to do that now. Their conjunction will be around June 8 and 9. And, when closest, their distance on our sky’s dome will be roughly the width of your pinky finger held at arm’s length. Start watching them now!

Want more? Here are 4 keys to understanding the moon’s phases.

May morning planets: Mars and Saturn

We’ve passed the date of summer solstice in Mars’ southern hemisphere (April 25). In this livestream, EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd explores the seasons on the Red Planet, and how even small differences in time and orbit can reshape our perception of a world. Watch in the player above or on YouTube.

May 13 and 14 mornings: Moon near Mars and Saturn

May 15 morning: Moon near Mars and Saturn

May 16: New supermoon

Want more? Here are 4 keys to understanding the moon’s phases.

May 17: Moon reaches perigee

May 17 after sunset: Moon, Venus and Jupiter

Read more: Earthshine is a lovely glow on the unlit portion of the moon

May 18, 19 and 20 evenings: Moon near Venus and Jupiter

Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

May 22 and 23 evenings: Moon, Regulus and the Sickle

Read more: Leo the Lion and its easy to see backward question mark

May 23: 1st quarter moon

Want more? Here are 4 keys to understanding the moon’s phases.

May 26 and 27 evenings: Moon near Spica

Read more: Spica, the bright beacon of Virgo, is 2 stars

May 28 and 29 evenings: Moon near Antares and Zubenelgenubi

May 30-31 overnight: Full Blue Moon and smallest full moon of 2026

May stars

If you’re out stargazing on any May evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the sky.

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

May evening planets

May morning planets

Sky dome map for visible planets and night sky

Read more: Guy Ottewell explains sky dome maps

Heliocentric solar system visible planets and more

Read more: Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts.

Some resources to enjoy

For more videos of great night sky events, visit EarthSky’s YouTube page.

Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to daily emails from EarthSky. It’s free!

Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze to find a dark-sky location near you.

Post your own night sky photos at EarthSky Community Photos.

See the indispensable Observer’s Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Visit Stellarium-Web.org for precise views from your location.

Almanac: Bright visible planets (rise and set times for your location).

Visit TheSkyLive for precise views from your location.

Bottom line: Visible planets and night sky guide. What’s going on in the sky this month? Deborah Byrd brings you a video summary of the best May sky events.

The post Visible planets and night sky guide for May first appeared on EarthSky.

• The U.S. Pentagon released its 1st batch of UAP files to the public. UAP stands for Unidentified Anomalous (formerly Aerial) Phenomena.
• There are 162 files in total, including 12 from NASA. The NASA ones are from Apollo 12, Apollo 17 and Gemini 7. They were already in the public domain.
• The file release is expected to be the first of several rollouts in the coming weeks.

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1st batch of Pentagon UFO files released

For the past few months, there were rumors and hints on social media that the U.S. government was about to start releasing information on UAP (still known by many as UFOs). On May 8, 2026, the first public records were released. The Pentagon unveiled its new website called PURSUE (Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters). This batch of info is said to be the first batch of more to come in rolling releases over the next weeks. So what does it show?

In this first batch, there are 162 records in total. They consists of 120 PDF documents, 28 videos and 14 images. Eighty-two of the total came from the Pentagon, 56 from the FBI, 12 from NASA, eight from the State Department and four with the agency not identified.

You can find all the documents, videos and images at War.gov/UFO.

You can also keep track of these files and future ones, which are better organized, at UFO Release Tracker and Pentagon UAP Files.

New Pentagon UFO files include reports from moon landings trib.al/DJBprKC

— Task & Purpose (@taskandpurpose.com) 2026-05-08T18:45:07.649633Z

Details on Pentagon UFO files

This first batch of records contains a wide range of documents, videos and images. They are split between older historical records and modern-day reports. The historical files, largely from the 1940s to 1960s, are FBI files, NASA transcripts and photos, State Department cables and Cold War-era UFO reports. The modern reports come from AARO (military reports), still imagery from U.S. military systems, 302 FBI interviews and a 2023 Western U.S. event summary.

But much of the material has already been in the public realm for years, even decades. So those items are not actually newly declassified.

The documents include the famous “Twining Memo” from 1947, in which General Nathan Twining stated:

The phenomenon reported is something real and not visionary or fictitious. There are objects probably approximating the shape of a disc, of such appreciable size as to appear to be as large as man-made.

The full memo can also be seen here (three images).

And, as seems to be typical for the Trump administration, some of the documents are still largely redacted even though they are “released.” For example, one document contains the rather cryptic sentence “2X round white white hot UAPS dynamic south” after six pages that have been completely blacked out.

Apollo 11, 12 and 17

The files contain some of the old NASA UAP reports. Apollo 11, 12 and 17, as well as Gemini 7, are in there. The public has known about these cases for decades. But it is interesting to see them included. And there are other NASA cases as well, but not included in this file dump. Perhaps in a subsequent one?

For example, from the included files, the Technical Crew Briefing for Apollo 11 records an object on the way out to the moon, flashes of light inside the astronauts’ cabin and a sighting on the return trip of a bright light tentatively assumed by the crew to be a laser.

And images taken from the lunar surface during Apollo 12 show several faint but colorful dots or lights in the black sky. These include a tight formation of three lights in a triangle (shown at top). It is still not known what the origin of these were, although most analysts think they were likely anomalies/blemishes in the film used at the time.

The Apollo 17 sighting took place out in space. All crew members, including Commander Eugene Cernan, saw a “flashing object” estimated to be several miles from their capsule, as well as closer “particles.” As Cernan told Mission Control at the time:

It’s way out in the distance, as I say, because there are particles that are close by and it’s obviously not one of those. It’s apparently rotating in a very rhythmic fashion because the flashes come round almost … almost on time.

Gemini 7

In addition, the original audio of the Gemini 7 sighting in in the files. too. That’s the one where astronaut Frank Borman said:

We have a bogey at 10 o’clock high … This is an actual sighting … very many A … it looks like hundreds of little particles.

Both Borman and astronaut Jim Lovell thought they were looking at debris from the mission itself, which is common. But whether that included the “bogey” is debated to this today. Sadly, both astronauts have now passed away.

Skylab

There is also the Technical Crew Debriefing from Skylab in 1973. It mentions crew observations of flashing lights outside of the Skylab space station.

Pentagon releases swath of UFO files

— Politico (@politico.com) 2026-05-08T14:06:11Z

COMETA

Also in the files is the French COMETA report “UFOs and Defense: What Should We Prepare For?” It was originally published in July 1999. It details a lengthy study of UAP by the French Institute of Higher Studies for National Defence.

COMETA consisted of former military and defense officials and experts in France. The report concluded that there was an “almost certain physical reality” of completely unknown flying objects displaying extraordinary capabilities that current science could not explain. And it even went as far to say that the extraterrestrial hypothesis for UAP was a “probable or credible explanation.” This was based on the roughly 5% of cases that were documented with radar data, etc., but still difficult to explain. In fact, that number is similar to other studies, including from AARO.

It was not widely circulated at the time due to copyright restrictions. But it was finally made public in 2007 by GEIPAN. GEIPAN is a unit of the National Space Centre (CNES) in France.

Other videos in Pentagon UFO files

There are 28 videos together, mostly from various U.S. military stations or surveillance missions. One of the most interesting is this one from the Indo-Pacific Command in 2024. It shows a small, bright object quickly moving around numerous wind turbines, flying close to the water. The video was taken by an infrared sensor. Download the higher-resolution version here:

Video of a UAP from the Indo-Pacific Command

Bottom line: On May 8, 2026, the U.S. Pentagon released its first batch of Pentagon UFO files. They include some from Apollo moon missions 11, 12 and 17.

Via U.S. Pentagon

Via Task & Purpose

Read more: UAP and science: Testing new methods of scientific analysis

Read more: New UAP study: This one is from NASA

The post Pentagon UFO files released: Views from the moon and more first appeared on EarthSky.

Got a dark sky? Look for the Northern Crown

If your sky is dark enough, Corona Borealis – aka the Northern Crown – is exciting to find. And it’s easy to pick out, because it’s an almost-perfect semicircle of stars.

So your eye might easily pick it out ascending in the east on a Northern Hemisphere spring evening.

But, if not, look for two bright guide stars: Arcturus in the constellation Boötes the Herdsman and Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp. Corona Borealis is located more or less along a line between these two. It’s a bit closer to Arcturus.

The Northern Crown is noticeable for its semicircular shape. But you’ll need a dark sky to see it clearly.

And here’s a plus! This constellation is home to a famous nova, a star that’s due to brighten noticeably. The star is called T Coronae Borealis (T CrB, pronounced “T Cor Bor”). Nowadays, people often call it the Blaze Star.

And, in 2026, we are waiting for the Blaze Star to erupt!

Want to learn more about the Blaze Star, aka T Coronae Borealis? It’s worth a whole article. Click here!

Science news, night sky events and beautiful photos, all in one place. Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.

Where to look from the Southern Hemisphere

Via Daniel Gaussen, Founder & Guide – Stargaze Mackenzie – New Zealand

We all live under the same sky. But Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres see the sky from different perspectives.

And Corona Borealis is far to the north on the sky’s dome. From deep in the Southern Hemisphere – for example, the latitude of New Zealand and southern Australia – Corona Borealis rises to only around 20 to 25 degrees above the northern horizon at its highest. So, in addition to a dark sky, you’ll also want a clear view to the north.

Look north to northeast for a delicate semicircle or backward C shape of stars between the bright orange star Arcturus and the bright blue-white star Vega. The famous Keystone pattern in Hercules is also between these two, right next to Corona Borealis.

Because this constellation is so far to the north, observers in the Southern Hemisphere have a shorter viewing seasons for Corona Borealis. It first becomes visible in the predawn around March. It gradually climbs higher into the night sky each day. It appears in the evening sky from about June to September.

So the best viewing time changes with the seasons. In May, Corona Borealis is still relatively low after sunset and reaches its highest point around midnight. By July, it is already well placed earlier in the evening, making the constellation much easier to spot during the first half of the night.

Binoculars can also help reveal the faint curve of stars more clearly, especially from suburban skies or locations with some northern haze.

Want an exact view from an exact time or your exact location on the globe? Try Stellarium.

Alphecca, the pearl of the Northern Crown

The brightest star in Corona Borealis is Alphecca, also known as Gemma, sometimes called the Pearl (or Jewel or Gem) of the Crown.

Alphecca is a blue-white star, with an intrinsic luminosity some 60 times that of our sun. It’s located about 75 light-years from Earth.

The name Alphecca originated with a description of Corona Borealis as the “broken one.” This was in reference to the fact that these stars appear in a semicircle, rather than a full circle.

Mythology of Corona Borealis

In Greek mythology, the crown came into the possession of Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete. She fell in love with an Athenian hero, Theseus. And it was she who helped him escape the Labyrinth after killing the dreaded Minotaur, a beast with the body of a man and the head of a bull. She accomplished this feat by giving him a thread, so he could find his way back out of the maze, in one of the most famous problem-solving tricks in mythology.

Theseus promised to take her with him. But then he abandoned her on the island of Naxos.

And that’s where the story turns. Dionysus – Greek god of wine and ecstasy – finds Ariadne. He falls in love with her and gives her a beautiful crown. The crown is sometimes said to have been made by Hephaestus, god of fire.

When Ariadne died (or, in some versions, was made immortal), Dionysus tossed the crown into the heavens, where we see it today as Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown.

Bottom line: Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, is an almost-perfect semicircle of stars. Learn to find it and identify its brightest star, and find out about its mythology.

The post How to see the Northern Crown (Corona Borealis) first appeared on EarthSky.

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Best Milky Way photos of 2026

In its 9th year, 2026, the annual Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest – from the travel blog Capture the Atlas – received a record number of submissions. Dan Zafra and his team combed through 6,500 entries before deciding on this year’s 25 winners. We’ve narrowed those down to 10 to share with you here.

You can see all 25 winners at Capture the Atlas.

If these images inspire you to capture a great shot of the Milky Way, submit it to EarthSky, too!

And if you just want to enjoy the Milky Way with your own eyes, visit a dark-sky location near you: See EarthSky’s best places to stargaze.

Salto de Agrio by Alejandra Heis

Fireball in Paradise by Jason Rice

Where Earth Meets the Cosmos by Andrea Curzi

Sodium Milky Way by Julien Looten

The Garden of Stars by Luca Fornaciari

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants by Nacho Peláez

Botswana Baobabs by Night by Stefano Pellegrini

Galactic Spine by Andrew Imhoff

Milky Way Over the Tatra Mountains by Lukasz Remkowicz

Bottom line: See 10 of the best Milky Way photos from across the globe, from the 2026 Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest, sponsored by Capture the Atlas.

The post See the best Milky Way photos of 2026 here first appeared on EarthSky.

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Come on, Blaze Star! Go nova!

Have you ever heard of the Blaze Star? It’s a star in the constellation Corona Borealis the Northern Crown, called T Corona Borealis (T CrB) or “T Cor Bor.” It was supposed to go nova last year. And we’re still waiting. But when it finally does erupt, it’ll be a once-in-a-lifetime show in our night sky.

The eagerly awaited Blaze Star nova is a real opportunity for keen night sky observers to witness a “new star” in the sky … but only for a few days before it fades away again. The trick will be to locate the right place in the sky now. You’ll be looking for the distinctive, C-shaped constellation Corona Borealis. After you find it, go back outside and find that constellation every so often, so you don’t lose track of it. Then, when you hear the Blaze Star has erupted, you’ll be poised to see something fun!

So keep reading to learn why we’re still waiting on the Blaze Star, and about how you can see when the nova finally does erupt. Once its brightness peaks, the nova should be visible to the unaided eye for several days and just over a week with binoculars before it dims again, possibly for decades.

Find Corona Borealis from the Northern Hemisphere

Corona Borealis is almost, but not quite, circumpolar from mid-northern latitudes. So it’s not visible all year round for most northern observers.

Instead, northern spring is the best time to start looking for this easy-to-find constellation. No matter where you are on the globe, the constellation looks like a letter C. It’s ascending in the east on May evenings. No matter where you are, you’ll find Corona Borealis approximately on a line between the bright stars Arcturus and Vega. And Corona Borealis is next to another famous star pattern for those with dark skies. It’s the squarish 4-star pattern of the Keystone in Hercules.

Did you hear those words dark sky? You can see the bright stars Arcturus and Vega from inside cities. But you need a dark sky to pick out the Keystone in Hercules and Corona Borealis. Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze.

Ready? Now look east on a May evening to find Corona Borealis rising.

By Northern Hemisphere summer, all of these stars and constellations will be high in your sky. You’ll be looking up, not east, to see them.

Do you need binoculars? No. You don’t need them. But binoculars are always a good idea.

Want an exact view from an exact time or your exact location on the globe? Try Stellarium.

Find Corona Borealis from the Southern Hemisphere

Via Daniel Gaussen, Founder & Guide – Stargaze Mackenzie – New Zealand

We all live under the same sky. But Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres see the sky from different perspectives.

And remember how we said that Corona Borealis was almost – but not quite – circumpolar? That means it’s far to the north on the sky’s dome. From deep in the Southern Hemisphere – for example, the latitude of New Zealand and southern Australia – Corona Borealis rises to only around 20 to 25 degrees above the northern horizon at its highest. So, in addition to a dark sky, you’ll also want a clear view to the north.

Look north to northeast for a delicate semicircle or backward C shape of stars between the bright orange star Arcturus and the bright blue-white star Vega. The famous Keystone pattern in Hercules is also between these two, right next to Corona Borealis.

Want an exact view from an exact time or your exact location on the globe? Try Stellarium.

What is the Blaze Star?

T Coronae Borealis – called “T Cor Bor” by many – is located about 3,000 light-years from Earth. It’s a double star system, consisting of a large cool star and a smaller hot star, which orbit each other every 228 days.

This system is what’s called a recurring nova. It’s not a supernova or star that blows itself to bits. Novas operate differently from supernovas. They survive to brighten again. T Cor Bor has outbursts about every 80 years.

Its last outburst was in 1946. That’s why astronomers believe another outburst will occur soon. Will we see it in 2026?

What makes the nova erupt? The cool star in the T Corona Borealis system is a swollen red giant. It continually transfers material to its companion in the system, the hot star. The hot star is a white dwarf, surrounded by an accretion disk made of material transferred over from the other star.

All of this is hidden inside a dense cloud of material from the red giant. When the system is quiescent, the red giant dominates the visible light output of the entire system. So the system appears as an M3 giant.

But during outbursts, the transfer of material from the red giant to the hot white dwarf increases greatly. The hot star then expands. And the luminosity of the system increases. Voila. We have a nova.

Why hasn’t the Blaze Star blazed?

Astronomers have been waiting several years for the Blaze Star to erupt. One recent prediction came from Jean Schneider of the Paris Observatory, publishing in the Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society in October 2024.

He pinpointed possible dates of March 27, 2025, and November 10, 2025. Those dates have come and gone with no big kablooey.

Schneider came to his possible dates using a combination of the previous eruption dates and the orbital ephemeris of the binary system. But Schneider admits in his paper that no one can exactly predict the eruption.

And, clearly, predicting eruptions of stars isn’t an exact science. The Blaze Star (T Coronae Borealis) underwent two known eruptions recorded by astronomers. Those events were on May 12, 1866, and on February 9, 1946. Those eruptions were 80 years apart. So scientists thought that, in another 80 years, the star would erupt again. Eighty years from 1946 would be 2026.

And so we wait …

How bright will the Blaze Star be?

How bright will it get in our sky? Astronomers expect it to reach an apparent magnitude of 2. That’s a respectable brightness for a star. It’s conveniently comparable to the brightest star in the Northern Crown, the Jewel of the Crown, Alphecca. So, for a few days, the Northern Crown will have two jewels!

T Corona Borealis – the Blaze Star – is also one of the most distant stars you’ll ever see. Alphecca is around 75 light-years away, while the Blaze Star is closer to 3,000 light-years away.

So that gives you some perspective on the absolute magnitude (brightness) of this enormous blast. The actual explosion of the Blaze Star nova will likely dwarf any explosion you’ll ever see. But the star is far away. This explosion has travelled 3,000 years to get here. So, in relative terms the nova will have happened during the Bronze Age.

Remember that, when viewing Alphecca and T Corona Borealis side-by-side with approximately the same brightness. The nova is 40 times farther away than Alphecca. Also, we are not seeing the two stars at the same moment in time. One we see as it was 75 years ago. And the other we see as it was 3,000 years ago. It can be hard to get your head around that!

The nova will brighten the star by thousands of times, typically over just a few hours, and then take some days to fade away again. When it’s done, it will go back to its normal appearance … which means we won’t be able to see it anymore, with the eye alone.

So erupt already!

Want more? Here’s a highly regarded lecture by one of the world’s experts on the Blaze Star, LSU astronomer Bradley Schaefer. He discusses T CrB’s history, research into its unusual behavior, and the expected details of its imminent eruption. He also detailed specific ways for amateur astronomers to contribute to the study of this historic event, before answering a wide assortment of audience questions. Watch in the player above or on YouTube.

Bottom line: We’re still waiting for the Blaze Star to go nova! Will it happen in 2026? Here’s how to find Corona Borealis so you’re ready when this star goes kablooey.

Source: When will the Next T CrB Eruption Occur?

Read more: Want more details on the Northern Crown? Click here

The post Will the Blaze Star explode in 2026? How to see it first appeared on EarthSky.

• Most objects in our solar system are too small to sustain atmospheres, scientists have long thought.
• But now, astronomers have spotted a tiny world with an atmosphere beyond the orbit of Neptune. It should be too small for an atmosphere to be possible.
• Researchers in Japan discovered this by watching the object, 2002 XV93, pass in front of a distant star.

Science news, night sky events and beautiful photos, all in one place. Click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.

This tiny world has an atmosphere … but shouldn’t

Every planet in our solar system apart from Mercury has an atmosphere. The dwarf planet Pluto also has one, as does Saturn’s moon Titan. But most of the objects in our solar system don’t. That’s because smaller bodies don’t have enough mass to hold onto any kind of atmosphere … Or so we thought.

Astronomers in Japan have just discovered that the tiny world 2002 XV93, orbiting in the icy reaches beyond Neptune, does have a thin atmosphere. That’s despite the fact that this space rock is just some 310 miles (500 km) in diameter. That’s about 7 times smaller than our moon.

The researchers said on May 5, 2026, that they detected the atmosphere when the tiny world passed in front of a star. Using multiple telescopes, they saw that the light from the star gradually faded instead of just suddenly winking. That’s evidence for a thin atmosphere around 2002 XV93.

The researchers published their peer-reviewed findings in Nature Astronomy on May 4, 2026. A preprint version, with no paywall, is also available on arXiv.

Observations of a distant object beyond Pluto suggest that it is surrounded by a thin atmosphere, potentially fuelled by ice volcanoes or produced by the impact of a comet-like body, according to research in Nature Astronomy. go.nature.com/4n5Kgup ??

— Nature Portfolio (@natureportfolio.nature.com) 2026-05-05T13:15:00.888Z

Spotting an atmosphere by starlight

This tiny world is what’s known as a trans-Neptunian object (TNO). That’s an object that orbits the sun beyond the orbit of Neptune. Most of these bodies are much too small, with too little gravity, to hold on to any kind of atmosphere. Pluto, also classified as a trans-Neptunian object, is an exception.

When researchers noticed that 2002 XV93 was going to transit – pass in front of – a distant star, they decided to make the most of it. They used the transit as a chance to see if, unexpectedly, 2002 XV93 happened to have any trace of an atmosphere. 2002 XV93 passed in front of the star on January 10, 2024.

And, surprise: It did! The light from the star gradually dimmed as 2002 XV93 passed in front of it. If it didn’t have an atmosphere, the light would have blinked out much more suddenly. So this indicated that 2002 XV93 does, in fact, have a thin atmosphere.

Lead author Ko Arimatsu at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan mentioned in Live Science:

The observation data showed a smooth change of the star’s brightness near the edge of the shadow, lasting about 1.5 seconds. This kind of smooth brightness change is naturally explained if the starlight was bent by a very thin atmosphere around the object.

But an object like 2002 XV93 should be too small to have an atmosphere. So what’s going on here? Scientists don’t know for sure yet.

This video depicts how the light from a background star changes when an object with an atmosphere passes in front of it. This happened with the small outer solar system object 2002 XV93, showing that it has a thin atmosphere. Video via NAOJ.

Atmosphere might last less than 1,000 years

Unless the atmosphere can be replenished somehow, then the researchers estimate it will last for less than 1,000 years. And just the fact that it exists now shows that it must have either been replenished or created fairly recently. But how?

Notably, the observations by the James Webb Space Telescope showed no evidence of icy frozen gases on the world’s surface. Such ices, common in the outer solar system, could sublimate – turn directly from ice to gas – and form a thin atmosphere. So how could an atmosphere exist otherwise?

The researchers have two main hypotheses. One is that frozen or liquid gases somehow came to the surface from deep below. Or perhaps, a comet impacted 2002 XV93. That would release cometary gases that could form a temporary atmosphere.

Arimatsu said:

That is why future monitoring is so important. If the atmosphere fades over the next several years, that would support an impact origin. If it persists, or varies seasonally, that would point more toward ongoing internal gas supply.

More small worlds with atmospheres?

Makemake is another small trans-Neptunian object where astronomers have detected gases, possibly forming a very thin atmosphere. In 2025, astronomers using the Webb telescope detected hints of methane. And as with 2002 XV93, the origin of this gas is still unclear.

Now, this new discovery suggests that perhaps more of these objects have atmospheres than first thought.

The paper says:

Our findings suggest that a fraction of distant icy minor planets can exhibit atmospheres, potentially sustained by ongoing cryovolcanic activity or produced by a recent impact of a small icy object.

Bottom line: In a surprise discovery, researchers in Japan found that a tiny outer solar system object – 2002 XV93 – has a thin atmosphere. But it shouldn’t. How did this atmosphere form?

Source: Detection of an atmosphere on a trans-Neptunian object beyond Pluto

Source (preprint): The first detection of an atmosphere on a trans-Neptunian object beyond Pluto

Via NAOJ

Via Live Science

Read more: 11,000 new asteroids! Astronomers call it ‘tip of iceberg’

Read more: New evidence for Planet 9 at the fringes of our solar system

The post Surprise! Tiny world with an atmosphere in outer solar system first appeared on EarthSky.

• Birds of a single species don’t all sound the same.
• There’s considerable individual and regional variation between birds.
• Adaptation to humans is one key reason that birds have different accents, scientists believe.

By Louise Gentle, Nottingham Trent University

Science news, night sky events and beautiful photos, all in one place. Click here to subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

Do birds have accents? Regional differences in birdsong

The dawn chorus is beautiful anywhere. But your local birdsong might sound different from birdsong in nearby areas. Even in the same neighborhood, birds of the same species don’t always sound exactly alike.

I was recently teaching undergraduate students about bird song, and they recorded blue tits singing around campus. The students found plenty of differences between individual birds. Some blue tits sang their classic song, which sounds a bit like they are saying “he-llo, I’m a little blue tit.” Some sang a more elaborate “he-llo, I’m a little blue tit, blue tit,” and some only bothered with “he-llo.”

Alongside individual differences, birds have regional differences in song. For example, take the birdsong that sounds a bit like my toe bleeds Be-tty, commonly sung by the woodpigeon. In some parts of the U.K. it’s “my toe bleeds Ju-li-a” instead, with an extra syllable to the final section of the song. These sorts of regional dialects have been reported in several British bird species, including blackbirds and great tits.

Interesting yellowhammer dialects

However, one of the most interesting accents comes from a farmland bird, the yellowhammer. This bird’s song typically sounds like a little bit of bread and no cheese please. In the U.K., the yellowhammer largely has two distinct dialects, differing in the final “cheese please” part of the song. In the east of England, “cheese” has a lower pitch than “please,” and this is reversed in south and west England.

The yellowhammer was introduced to New Zealand from the U.K. in the 1860s and 70s. But, unlike the U.K., the New Zealand yellowhammers have around seven dialects, despite originating from the south of England. These five extra dialects have also been detected in birds across Europe, indicating that the New Zealand birds still sing the 19th century British dialects that have since disappeared in the U.K.

This is likely due to the large decline in the number of yellowhammers in the U.K., which caused some populations to go extinct. An ongoing project allows you to view a map of yellowhammer dialects or help with citizen science research on their song.

Learning accents

Most birds only sing one dialect, learned from parents or neighbours, resulting in a geographical mosaic of regional accents. Dialects often overlap but can dominate certain areas, essentially producing Geordie (from Newcastle), Brummie (from Birmingham), Cockney (from London’s East End) and Scouse (from Liverpool) birds.

Although some bird species have an innate ability to sing the song of their species (the cuckoo, for example), species with more elaborate song must learn to sing. Young birds inherit a template which they add to from listening to songs around them.

For example, chaffinches that have been hand-reared in isolation produce simple songs, whereas wild chaffinches learn complexities from their parents or immediate neighbours in their first weeks of life. Finer details of their song are acquired the following breeding season when they come into contact with neighboring territory owners.

Interestingly, the corn bunting, a farmland bird, sings the same song as its nearest neighbor rather than its parents, seeming to learn most after dispersing from the nest.

Adapting to humans

Birds are also adapting to humans. In urban areas, wildlife is subjected to human-made noise such as cars and machinery. Consequently, urban birds now sing at a higher pitch than rural birds as higher-pitched songs carry better over low-pitch urban noise. And it’s not just the pitch of the song that has been altered.

Great tits sing shorter and faster songs in cities compared to forests, and blackbirds sing louder in urban areas.

However, even when cities are quiet, like in the early hours, urban birds maintain these song features, which suggests that sounds echo off large buildings and don’t travel as far in urban areas.

Birds are singing earlier in response to traffic noise, with city blackbirds starting their dawn chorus up to five hours earlier than rural birds.

The effect of artificial light also leads to an earlier start of dawn singing, with song thrushes starting ten minutes earlier, and robins and great tits 20 minutes earlier than in areas without street lighting. And, artificial light causes blackbirds to sing around an hour earlier than those exposed to natural light.

Male or female?

Scientists still have much to learn about the differences in birdsong within a species. When you hear birdsong, it’s easy to assume that it’s a male. And it is more usually males that sing. Females choose males with the best song so that their offspring will inherit his high quality genes.

But female birds have been massively under-represented in archives and scientific studies. A 2016 analysis found that for 3,500 out of 4,814 species we don’t even have enough data to know whether or not the females of the species sing. As researchers take a closer look at female birdsong, we may learn of even more differences.

Next time you listen to a bird singing, see if you can hear the nuances in the dialect, or spot the difference between urban and rural birds.

By Louise Gentle, Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Bottom line: Yes, birds have accents. From individual to geographical variation, birds of the same species don’t always sound the same.

Read more: A change of tune: Birdsong evolves, says AI-powered study

The post Do birds have accents? Regional differences in birdsong first appeared on EarthSky.

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• A megatsunami is an incredibly large wave of about 100 meters (328 ft) or more. These huge waves are often triggered by events such as landslides.
• In August 2025, a megatsunami in Alaska happened when a landslide entered a fjord next to South Sawyer Glacier. The event generated a wave 1,580 feet (481 meters) high.
• Scientists believe a warning system could help alert any people in the area. It would be based on seismic activity in the area.

By Michael E. West, University of Alaska Fairbanks and Ezgi Karasözen, University of Alaska Fairbanks

2025 Alaska megatsunami shows need for warning system

On the evening of August 9, 2025, passengers on the Hanse Explorer yacht finished taking selfies and videos of Alaska’s South Sawyer Glacier, and the ship headed back down the fjord. Twelve hours later, a landslide from the adjacent mountain unexpectedly collapsed into the fjord, initiating the second-highest tsunami in recorded history.

We conduct research on earthquakes and tsunamis at the Alaska Earthquake Center. And one of us serves as Alaska state seismologist. In a new study with colleagues, we detail how that landslide sent water and debris 1,580 feet (481 meters) up the other side of the fjord. That’s higher than the top floor of the Taipei 101 skyscraper. And then the tsunami continued down Tracy Arm. The force of the water stripped the fjord’s walls down to bare rock.

The 2025 Alaska megatsunami

It was just after 5 o’clock in the morning on a dreary day. And fortunately, no ships were nearby. In the months after, some cruise lines started avoiding Tracy Arm. However, the conditions that led to this event are not at all unique to this fjord.

Landslides are common in the coastal mountains of Alaska. In these areas, rapid uplift – caused by tectonic forces and long-term ice loss – converges with the erosive forces of precipitation and moving glaciers. But a curious pattern has emerged in recent years: Multiple major landslides have occurred precisely at the terminus (end point) of a retreating glacier.

Though the mechanics are still poorly understood, these mountains appear to become unstable when the ice disappears. When the landslide hits the water, the momentum of millions of tons of rock is transferred into tsunami waves.

This same phenomenon is playing out from Alaska to Greenland and Norway, sometimes with deadly consequences. Across the Arctic, countries are trying to come to terms with this growing hazard. The options are not attractive: avoid vast swaths of coastline, or live with a poorly understood risk. We believe there is an obvious role for alert systems. But only if scientists have a better understanding of where and when landslides are likely to occur.

Signs that a landslide might be coming

The Tracy Arm landslide is a powerful example.

The landslide occurred in August, when warm ocean waters and heavier precipitation favor both glacier retreat and slope failure. The glacier below the landslide area had experienced rapid calving: large chunks of ice breaking off and falling into the water. And it had retreated more than a third of a mile in the two months prior. Heavy rain had been falling. Rain enters fractures in the mountain and pushes them closer to failure by increasing the water pressure in cracks.

Most provocative are the thousands of small seismic tremors that emanated from the area of the slide in the days prior to the mountainside collapsing.

We believe that this combination of signs would have been sufficient to issue progressive alerts to any ships in the vicinity and homes and businesses that could have been harmed by a tsunami at least a day prior to the failure … had a monitoring program existed.

Escalating alerts are used for everything from terrorism and nuclear plant safety to avalanches and volcanic unrest. They don’t remove the risk. But they do make it easier for people to safely coexist with hazards.

For example, though people are still killed in avalanches, alert systems have played an essential role in making winter backcountry travel safer for more people. The collapse at Tracy Arm demonstrates what could be possible for landslides.

What an alert system could look like

We believe that the combination of weather and rapid glacier retreat in early August 2025 was likely sufficient to issue an alert notifying people that the hazard may be temporarily elevated in a general area. On a yellow-orange-red scale, this would be a yellow alert.

In the hours prior to the landslide, the exponential increase in seismic events and telltale transition to what is known as seismic tremor – a continuous “hum” of seismic energy – were sufficient to communicate a time-sensitive warning for a specific region.

These observations, recorded as a byproduct of regional earthquake monitoring, warranted an “orange” alert noting immediate concern. The signs were arguably sufficient to recommend keeping boats and ships out of the fjord.

Alerts are possible

Our research over the past few years has demonstrated that once a large landslide has started, it is possible to detect and measure the event within a couple of minutes. In this amount of time, seismic waves in the surrounding area can indicate the rough size of the landslide and whether it occurred near open water.

A monitoring program that could quickly communicate this would be able to issue a red alert, signaling an event in progress.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s tsunami warning program has spent decades fine-tuning rapid message dissemination. A warning system would have offered little help for ships in the immediate vicinity, but it could have provided perhaps 10 minutes of warning for those who rode out the harrowing tsunami farther away.

There is no landslide monitoring system operating yet at this scale in the U.S. Building one will require cooperation across state and federal agencies, and strengthened monitoring and communication networks. Even then, it will not be fail-proof.

Understanding risk, not removing it

Alert systems do not remove the risk entirely, but they are a better option than no warning at all. Over time, they also build awareness as communities and visitors get used to thinking about these hazards.

Many of the most alluring places on Earth come with significant hazards. Arctic fjords are among them. The same processes that create this hazard – glacier retreat, steep terrain, dynamic geology – are also what make these landscapes so compelling. The mix of glaciers, ice-choked waters and steep mountains is exactly what draws people to these places. People will continue to visit and experience them.

The question is not whether these places should be avoided altogether, but how to help people make more informed decisions. We believe that stronger geophysical and meteorological monitoring, coupled with new research and communication channels, is the first step.

On August 9, visitors unknowingly passed through a landscape on the cusp of failure. An alert system might have given tour companies and people in the area the information they needed to make more informed choices and avoid being caught by surprise.

Michael E. West, Director of the Alaska Earthquake Center and State Seismologist, University of Alaska Fairbanks and Ezgi Karasözen, Research Seismologist, Alaska Earthquake Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Bottom line: A 2025 Alaska megatsunami sent a 1,580-foot wave of water up the Tracy Arm fjord. It revealed the need for a landslide-triggered tsunami warning system.

Read more: Landslide-triggered tsunamis becoming more common

The post 2025 Alaska megatsunami shows need for warning system first appeared on EarthSky.

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What are von Kármán vortices?

The cloudy chain of spiraling eddies – like you see above – are known as von Kármán vortices. They’re named for Theodore von Kármán (1881-1963), a Hungarian-American physicist. He was the first to describe the physical processes that create them. The patterns can form nearly anywhere an object disturbs the flow of a fluid. That means oceans … or air.

In the case of the von Kármán vortices above, they formed in Earth’s atmosphere, downwind from Peter I Island. This ice-covered volcanic island sits in the Southern Ocean between Antarctica and South America. Winds were blowing between 11 to 34 miles per hour (18 to 54 kph) on February 11, 2026, when they encountered the volcanic barrier. The wind parted on either side of the island and spun into the shapes you see here. Note that this doesn’t always happen. Stronger winds wouldn’t have allowed the eddies to retain their shape.

More on how von Kármán vortices form

Our atmosphere is composed of gases, but it flows like a fluid. And tall peaks on islands can disrupt the flow of wind, to create the swirling clouds we know as von Kármán vortices. As the winds divert around these high areas, the disturbance in the flow propagates downstream in the form of vortices that alternate their direction of rotation.

Satellites have spotted von Kármán vortices around the globe. We’ve seen these vortices off of Guadalupe Island near the coast of Chile, in the Greenland Sea, in the Arctic and even next to a tropical storm. In the satellite image below, the vortices formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean on April 30, 2024.

Animation of von Kármán vortices

Von Kármán vortices can form nearly anywhere that fluid flow is disturbed by an object. In the images below, that “object” is an island or group of islands. Watch the animation below courtesy of Cesareo de la Rosa Siqueira at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. You’ll see how a von Kármán vortex “street” develops behind a cylinder moving through a fluid.

More images of the cloudy, swirling eddies

Swirling clouds over Norwegian island

In the image below, an isolated Norwegian territory in the North Atlantic Ocean, called Jan Mayen Island, is responsible for the spiraling cloud pattern. The unique flow occurs when winds rushing from the north encounter Beerenberg Volcano. This snow-covered peak on the eastern end of the island rises 1.4 miles (2.2 km) above the sea surface. As winds pass around the volcano, the disturbance in the flow propagates downstream in the form of a double row of vortices that alternate their direction of rotation.

Bottom line: See von Kármán vortices – mesmerizing, swirling pattern of clouds – in these satellite images. These clouds form when the wind hits a barrier like a mountain.

Read more from NASA’s Earth Obervatory

Read more: Cloud streets: What are they? How do they form?

The post Von Kármán vortices are mesmerizing, swirling clouds first appeared on EarthSky.