CORONAL MASS EJECTIONCME

Coronal mass ejection toward Earth, October 8, 2026

Arrival forecast
Map: Coronal mass ejection toward Earth, October 8, 2026

A coronal mass ejection, a billion-ton cloud of magnetized gas, left the Sun on October 8, 2026 at 16:53 UTC, moving at about 723 km/s (1.6 million mph). NASA’s model forecast it to reach Earth around Sunday, October 11 at 20:14 UTC. In the model’s strongest scenario it pushes the K index to 5, a G1 geomagnetic storm. A geomagnetic storm followed.

Left the SunOct 8 16:53 UTC
Speed723 km/s
Arrival (model)Oct 11 20:14 UTC
Glancing blowNo
Kp forecastup to 5
Travel time75 hours
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What happens when it arrives

If the cloud’s magnetic field points south when it hits, it can couple with Earth’s and set off a geomagnetic storm: auroras far from the poles, and in strong storms trouble for power grids, satellites and GPS. Arrival times are model forecasts and are often off by six hours or more. Live outlook: aurora forecast.

Did you know?

The solar wind. The Sun constantly blows charged particles toward Earth, usually at 300–500 km/s. Faster streams can stir up auroras.

Data: NASA DONKI (WSA-ENLIL model).

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