Guides to the sky, the aurora and the live Earth

Practical guides: when and where to look up, how to read an aurora forecast, when golden hour is. We check every number against its source.

Green volcanic islands in the western Pacific surrounded by deep blue ocean

Deep M6.5 earthquake near the Bonin Islands, Japan - October 25, 2026

On Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 02:09 UTC (11:09 a.m. in Japan), a strong earthquake hit beneath the ocean west of the Bonin Islands, also known as Ogasawara. The USGS puts it at magnitude 6.5, while the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) measured 7.0. The quake was very deep, roughly 470-490 km down, and the JMA said straight away there was no tsunami threat.

Green volcanic island in the Pacific with a lagoon and faint ripples spreading across the ocean

Vanuatu earthquake: M6.9 quake and tsunami warning on October 24, 2026

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck beneath the sea northwest of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, on Saturday October 24, 2026 at 02:31 UTC (1:31pm in Vanuatu, 3:31pm in New Zealand). The quake was shallow, just 10 km deep. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center warned of hazardous waves within 300 km, then declared the threat over less than an hour later.

The volcanic Aeolian Islands rising from the Tyrrhenian Sea in soft light

Earthquake in Italy today: M5.0 off the Aeolian Islands near Sicily on October 23, 2026

On Friday, October 23, 2026 at 12:19 local time (10:19 UTC, 11:19 in the UK), a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck beneath the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Alicudi. It was felt widely across Sicily and Calabria, and schools in Palermo and Bagheria were evacuated as a precaution.

The high Tibetan Plateau at dusk with snow-capped ridges

Earthquake in Tibet, China today: M7.0 hits Nagqu on October 22, 2026

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqen County in the Nagqu region of northern Tibet on Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 14:33 UTC (10:33 pm Beijing time, 10:33 am in New York). The quake was shallow, and China launched a Level-II emergency response.

A young tropical cyclone over a coral atoll in the Pacific seen from orbit

Cyclone Wati reaches Category 2 as Aitutaki braces for damaging winds on Sunday

Cyclone Wati has strengthened to Category 2 and is tracking southeast towards Aitutaki. The Cook Islands Meteorological Service reports average winds of 85 km/h (53 mph) with gusts up to 120 km/h (75 mph). The worst conditions on Aitutaki are expected from early Sunday morning local time, around 5 p.m. Sunday in the UK.

Kamchatka coast with volcanoes and wave rings spreading across the sea

Earthquake in Russia today: M6.9 strikes Kamchatka on October 16, 2026

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the southern Kamchatka Peninsula on Friday, October 16, 2026 at 03:35 UTC (3:35 pm local time). The quake was deep, about 135 km below the surface, and the USGS rates the risk of damage as low.

Orange Hunter’s Moon rising over autumn fields

Hunter's Moon 2026: the October full moon and the clock change weekend

The October full moon peaks on Monday 26 October at 04:12 UTC, right after the night the clocks go back in Europe. The best view is on Sunday evening, 25 October, when the Moon rises just before sunset.

Orionid meteors over a mountain lake before dawn

Orionid meteor shower 2026: peak night and best time to watch

The Orionids are dust from Halley’s Comet. In 2026 the peak falls on the night of 21-22 October, but the Moon is about 80% lit, so the best window is the 2-3 hours before dawn, after it sets.

Spiral of a tropical cyclone over the Pacific seen from orbit

Champi is no longer a typhoon: low and front soak Japan on Oct 26-27

The JMA says Champi turned into an extratropical low over the East China Sea at 9:00 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, Japan time (12:00 noon in the UK, 8:00 a.m. on the US East Coast), with a pressure of 1000 hPa. The danger is not over: together with a front, the low brings downpours from Kyushu to Kanto. By 6:00 p.m. Monday Japan time the JMA expects up to 250 mm of rain on Shikoku and up to 200 mm in northern Kyushu and Kanto-Koshin.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge on the ocean floor with a rift glowing with magma

Atlantic Ocean earthquake: M6.8 on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, October 13, 2026

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit the central Mid-Atlantic Ridge on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 12:23 UTC, almost exactly on the equator. It struck in open ocean, far from any coast, and the USGS rates the risk of losses as low.

Northern lights over a Norwegian fjord and a red cabin

The Kp index explained: how strong a storm you need to see the aurora

Seeing the northern lights far from the Arctic is not luck, it is a question of storm strength and a dark sky. In Edinburgh Kp 3 can be enough, in London you need about 5.5, in New York about 7.5. Here is what those numbers mean and how not to miss the next chance.

Golden hour over an old hilltop town and river

Golden hour and blue hour: when they happen and how long they last

Golden hour is rarely an hour. In New York it lasts about 53 to 63 minutes, in Stockholm in December almost two and a half hours. Here is why, and how to check today's exact times for your city.