TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
September 20, 2026
Analemma over the Callanish Stones
If you went outside at the same time every day and took a picture that included the Sun, how would the Sun's position change? A visual answer to that question is an analemma, a composite image taken from the same spot at the same time over the course of a year. The featured analemma was composed from images taken every few days at noon near the village of Callanish in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, UK. In the foreground are the Callanish Stones, a stone circle built around 2700 BC during humanity's Bronze Age. It is not known if the placement of the Callanish Stones has or had astronomical significance. The ultimate causes for the figure-8 shape of this and all analemmas are the tilt of the Earth axis and the ellipticity of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. At the solstices, the Sun will appear at the top or bottom of an analemma. The featured image was taken near the December solstice and so the Sun appears near the bottom. Equinoxes, however, correspond to analemma middle points – not the intersection point. In two days there will be an equinox ("equal night"), when day and night are equal over all of planet Earth. Many cultures celebrate a change of season at an equinox.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4jD_DpXuHU
Purple Aurora, Solar-Planet Magnetic Reversal | S0 News and frens til the end
Sep.20.2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5UA0ycqySI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9DAYdxU4uE (Ryan Hall Y'all: I Need To Change My Winter Forecast… El Nino)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACjfYz1ods0 (BPEarthwatch: Destructive Silt Moving Thru the Entire Colorado River Dam Systems)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7ihMwB7e3E (MrMBB333: A ONCE IN A CENTURY EVENT!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9PpCiMOxWM (Mr Weatherman: Tropical Storm Fay forms in the Atlantic…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0bl0fBXUoo (A look at whether Earthquake activity increases during elevated Sunspot activity or not. Sat Night)
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wildfires
https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/la-copper-thieves-prey-pacific-211939309.html
https://www.cpr.org/2026/09/19/fema-denies-disaster-aid-request-aspen-acres/
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storms and floods
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/shaky-knees-evacuated-severe-storms-195051608.html
https://ktxs.com/news/nation-world/severe-weather-forces-active-evacuation-at-lost-lands-music-festival-emergency-weather-rain-storm-thunder-lightning-saturday-now
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/prolonged-tropical-downpours-target-florida-increasing-flash-flood-threat-through-next-week
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tornadoes
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/highest-elevation-tornadoes-u-history-205504818.html
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hurricanes and frens
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/odalys-churns-pacific-moisture-fuels-southwest-flood-threat
https://www.accuweather.com/en/hurricane/tropical-storm-fay-becomes-sixth-named-storm-of-atlantic-hurricane-season/1935940
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/09/20/japan/typhoon-dujuan-silver-week/
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earthquakes
https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/279317751/mexico-mexico-city-national-earthquake-drill
https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/9353560/appin-two-new-micro-quakes-hit-hotspot-fourth-tremor-in-weeks/
https://qazinform.com/news/m44-earthquake-hits-china-ff8f51
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/news/360698/Significant-magnitude-52-earthquake-strikes-near-Hihifo-Niuas-Tonga.html
https://watchers.news/2026/09/20/strong-m6-4-earthquake-hits-eastern-new-guinea-region-papua-new-guinea/
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volcanoes
https://www.awazthevoice.in/heritage-news/indonesia-ganesha-atop-mount-bromo-volcano-is-worshipped-68011.html
https://newsonjapan.com/article/150810.php
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dailys
https://schumannresonance.today/
https://www.weather.gov/
https://www.weatherbug.com/news/El-Ni%C3%B1o-Winter-2026%E2%80%932027-What-It-Could-Mean-for-the-US
https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/nfn
https://www.americanforests.org/wildfire-map/
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
https://www.tornadohq.com/
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes-volcanoes/news/360514/Volcano-earthquake-report-2026-09-20.html
https://www.spaceweather.gov/
https://spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=20&month=09&year=2026
Anil Menon
@astro_anil
Episode 4: Chez ISS, BTS. A look at the kitchen where the magic happens.
Microgravity makes cooking difficult, so we use many techniques to keep the kitchen efficient and functional when things can easily float away.
8:33 AM · Sep 19, 2026
https://x.com/astro_anil/status/2101333800999395533
moar
https://x.com/astro_anil/status/2101011151639179705
https://x.com/Orioles/status/2101410222937985324
https://x.com/Astro_Jessica/status/2101029824898736471
https://x.com/digijordan/status/2101531819007004932
Coolest guard shack ever.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
@NASAAdmin
We crossed the seas, climbed the mountains, and kept going because we wanted to know what was out there. We don’t know what we may find, but destiny is calling…
6:31 AM · Sep 20, 2026
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2101665430356328919
moar
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2101402076391571858
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2101389033947455894
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2101453732919570489
https://x.com/NASAAdmin/status/2101344488337666472
Trump’s questionable social media posts on space deserve context
09/20/26 10:00 AM ET
President Trump will be remembered, along with John F. Kennedy Jr. and Ronald Reagan, as one of the American presidents who took America’s space program to new heights.
The world is going back to the moon, largely because of Trump and the two men he appointed to be NASA administrator — Jim Bridenstine in his first term and Jarad Isaacman in his second.
However, two recent social media posts by Trump have been perplexing. The first was a graphic of proposed uniforms for members of the U.S. Space Force.
The problem with the proposal is that the uniforms resembled something worn in “Star Wars” by the crew of the evil Galactic Empire’s Death Star — obviously not a good look for an American military service.
The post has sparked a lot of mockery on social media. It also suggests that science fiction may not be the appropriate model for fashioning a look for America’s space military service.
Some may think that it detracts from the Space Force’s role as a serious military branch that operates in a realm increasingly important to the defense of the U.S. and the free world.
The exception may be the television and movie franchise “Star Trek.”
One can imagine the Space Force someday morphing into Star Fleet, the exploration and military service at the center of the franchise. After all, SpaceX’s Elon Musk, upon the formation of the Space Force, posted on X that “Star Fleet begins.”
Perhaps the uniforms worn by Space Force personnel could be derived from those worn by characters in the Star Trek TV shows and movies. They would not contain the whiff of space-based fascism.
The other Trump space social media post that has caused consternation is a graphic of the moon with the Earth in the distance, bearing the caption, “The Moon is Ours” with an American flag.
The post is being widely interpreted as Trump declaring the moon to be sovereign American territory, an act prohibited by the Outer Space Treaty of 1967
On the other hand, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) proposed making the moon a U.S. state during his 2012 campaign for the presidency.
He proposed a “Northwest Ordinance for Space” that would govern how a moon base might eventually become a 51st state once it had achieved 13,000 inhabitants.
Gingrich’s proposal — not to speak of the annexation of the moon — went nowhere in 2012, thanks in large part to the ridicule heaped on the idea by the eventual Republican nominee, Mitt Romney.
Romney went down to defeat, so it was left to Trump to revive the moon base idea once he became president.
Now the moon base, as part of the Artemis program, is wildly popular. But what about annexing the moon?
The problem is that it runs contrary to the Artemis Accords strategy that NASA is using to enhance American soft power. The U.S. is not going back to the moon alone. It has amassed a remarkable coalition of nations and private companies for that effort.
The U.S. State Department has just announced the Space Catalyst Partnership, designed to foster cooperation between the signatory members of the Artemis Accords and private companies.
The partnership “will primarily promote civil and commercial space cooperation through three tools: diplomatic outreach, industry engagement, and the targeted use of foreign assistance, subject to the availability of funds.”
Obviously, if the U.S. was seen as instituting an imperialist land grab on the moon, its allies in the Artemis Accords might rethink their cooperation with NASA and American companies such as SpaceX.
The Artemis Accords, as I have mentioned before, provide a more sensible and subtle way of governing celestial bodies such as the moon.
During the Apollo race to the moon against the Soviet Union, the U.S. was going pretty much alone, with the rest of the world as bystanders.
With the Artemis program, the U.S. is taking the rest of the world, with the exception of rogue states such as China and Russia, back to the moon with it.
The U.S., which is providing the bulk of the resources for the Artemis program, is still going to be the dominant power. But it is achieving quite a bit of good will around the world through its willingness to share.
The strategy is a marked contrast with that of China, which has made no secret of its imperial ambitions. Thus, America maintains the moral high ground.
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/6098557-trump-space-force-uniforms/
https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4606745/delta-leadership-course-bridges-air-and-space/
moar Space Force
https://www.vandenberg.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4606738/team-v-welcomes-home-honor-flight-veterans/
https://x.com/SpaceForceCSO/status/2101421818758258718
https://x.com/USSpaceForce/status/2101423602583117831
https://x.com/USSpaceForce/status/2101340711815725159
Delta Leadership Course bridges air and space
Sept. 19, 2026
Space Launch Delta 30 recently hosted its inaugural Delta Leadership Course, equipping 13 commanders and senior enlisted leaders with the knowledge, relationships and resources necessary to lead Guardians and Airmen at a Space Force installation.
The locally developed course supports the Department of the Air Force’s emphasis on preparing command teams to build ready units, uphold standards, care for their people and execute the mission in a rapidly changing operational environment.
For many of the participating Air Force leaders, an assignment at Vandenberg represents their first experience commanding within a Space Force-led installation.
The weeklong course introduced them to Vandenberg’s mission, organizational structure, support network and distinct service culture while reinforcing the responsibilities shared by command teams across the Department of the Air Force.
“As Delta Commanders, our responsibility is to ensure our Squadron Commanders have the tools, context and relationships they need to take care of their people and accomplish the mission,” said U.S. Space Force Col. James T. Horne III, SLD 30 commander.
“At Vandenberg, that also means understanding how Guardians and Airmen work together to enable launch, test and aeronautical operations essential to our nation’s security.”
Recognizing the challenges and opportunities of command teams at Vandenberg, U.S. Air Force Col. Lawrence A. Smith II, SLD 30 deputy commander, conceptualized a tailored leadership program.
With Horne’s full backing and direction to move forward, Col. Smith turned the concept into an actionable curriculum to prepare newly assigned leaders.
“We recognized there was an opportunity to better prepare command teams for the unique experience of leading at a Space Force installation,” said Smith.
“Drawing from proven Air Force practices, our team built a course specifically for Vandenberg’s mission and the Airmen and Guardians who execute it.
What began as a local solution may ultimately offer a useful model for how the Space Force welcomes and equips command teams across the service.”
The curriculum brought several command teams together for an integrated look at what it takes to lead effectively at the Department of the Air Force’s fastest-growing space launch delta.
“This was an opportunity to create something completely new for the Space Force while drawing on proven Air Force leadership practices,” said U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Joshua Sanders, SLD 30 senior enlisted Airman.
“Because I was also new to Vandenberg, I could bring the questions and challenges incoming command teams experience directly into the development process.
We built a course that connects those established practices with the unique mission, culture and support structure of a Space Force installation.”
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The course connected participants with installation leaders, mission partners and helping agencies responsible for readiness, personnel development and family support.
Topics included command authorities and responsibilities, standards and accountability, talent management, installation operations, quality of life, family readiness and resources specific to Vandenberg SFB for Guardians and Airmen.
“Our people are our greatest resource, but taking care of them requires more than knowing what programs are available,” said U.S. Space Force Chief Master Sgt. Shannan Sanchez, SLD 30 senior enlisted leader.
“Leaders must understand the Space Force mission; the Guardian experience and the different perspectives Airmen bring to this installation.
This course gives command teams the context and relationships to lead both services effectively, uphold standards and make informed decisions that strengthen their people, their units and our collective readiness.”
SLD 30 supports military, civil and commercial space launch, missile testing and aeronautical operations and its mission has grown more than 1300% in the last five years.
The program addressed the experiences of Airmen assigned to a Space Force base and the responsibilities leaders have in helping both Guardians and Airmen navigate an exponentially growing service environment.
The course emphasized the partnership between commanders and senior enlisted leaders and the importance of approaching leadership as an integrated team.
It also allowed participants to establish relationships across organizational boundaries, share experiences and identify common challenges before those challenges affect personnel or mission execution.
By understanding the cultures, missions and needs of both services, command teams are better positioned to strengthen unit cohesion and ensure every member remains connected to the mission.
“This course helped connect the dots—what’s expected of us as commanders, how Vandenberg operates and where to turn when our people need support,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Joanne Whitlock, SLD 30 Logistics and Readiness Squadron commander.
“I’m leaving this course better prepared to set clear expectations, take care of my Airmen, and keep the team focused on the mission.”
The inaugural Delta Leadership Course establishes a locally developed framework that can evolve alongside Vandenberg’s mission and workforce. Participant feedback will be used to strengthen future iterations of the annual program.
“The course did an outstanding job highlighting some blind spots we didn’t know we had,” said U.S. Space Force Master Sgt. Jeffrey Wynn, 30th Operations Support Squadron senior enlisted leader. “The course should be made available to a wider population.”
Ultimately, the course reflects a fundamental readiness principle: Command teams that understand their mission, know their people and can connect them with the right resources are better prepared to lead through change and deliver combat capability.
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China launches 4 different rockets to orbit in 45 hours
September 20, 2026
The growing diversity and capability of China's launch sector were on display last week.
Four different Chinese orbital rockets lifted off in a 45-hour span from Tuesday (Sept. 15) to Wednesday (Sept. 16), flying from three different launch sites.
Two of the rockets were private vehicles — and all four aced their missions.
The action started Tuesday at 2:26 a.m. EDT (0626 GMT), when the Beijing company LandSpace sent one of its Zhuque-2E rockets up from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.
The Zhuque-2E — which burns liquid methane and liquid oxygen like SpaceX's in-development Starship megarocket — hauled 10 satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) for the Qianfan ("Thousand Sails") broadband megaconstellation.
If all goes to plan, Qianfan will eventually consist of about 15,000 active spacecraft.
Another nine Qianfan satellites went up at 6:00 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT) on Tuesday atop a Gravity-1 rocket, which launched from a barge off the coast of Shanghai.
The Gravity-1, operated by the company Orienspace, is the world's most powerful solid rocket — though it's probably better known for its almost comically squat and stubby profile.
Next up was a Long March 12 rocket, which is flown by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
It lifted off on Wednesday at 8:32 p.m. EDT (0032 GMT on Sept. 17) from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the island of Hainan and carried nine spacecraft for another Chinese LEO broadband megaconstellation called SatNet, which is envisioned to harbor about 13,000 satellites.
A Kuaizhou-11 rocket finished the four-flight flurry about two hours later, launching from Jiuquan at 10:40 p.m. EDT (0240 GMT on Sept. 17).
The vehicle, which is operated by a subsidiary of the state-run China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, carried two Earth-observing radar satellites for the Chinese company Spacety.
The quartet of launches didn't give us a full picture of China's launch ambitions, however, for none of the four rockets attempted a landing.
The nation is working hard to develop reusable rockets and has already made considerable progress on this front.
In the last 2.5 months, two different vehicles — LandSpace's Zhuque-3 and CASC's Long March 10B — have successfully landed their first stages during orbital missions.
No Chinese first stage has flown multiple orbital missions thus far, but that box could be checked fairly soon.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/china-launches-4-different-rockets-to-orbit-in-45-hours-video
moar China in space
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202609/20/WS6aaf84d9e4b06d4aa055f0ad.html
https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/6172737-shenzhou-23-crew-conducts-science-health-checks-aboard-tiangong-space-station
https://www.bgr.com/2262512/china-mars-mission-is-space-milestone/
Russia downs 1,600 Ukrainian drones in ‘unprecedented’ attack during elections – Moscow mayor
20 Sep, 2026 04:31 | Updated 20 Sep, 2026 15:34
Two civilians have been killed and six injured, with hundreds of UAVs intercepted near the capital
Two civilians were killed and several others, including two children, were injured in Moscow Region during a powerful Ukrainian drone raid that was aimed at derailing Russia’s parliamentary elections, local officials said.
In a statement on Sunday, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said more than 1,600 UAVs were repelled since the previous day, adding that 450 UAVs were intercepted on approaches to the capital.
“The unprecedented attack was clearly planned to disrupt the elections. The enemy failed,” he said.
Several drones reached the premises of the Moscow Oil Refinery, where one unidentified facility was damaged, and one struck a residential building, according to Sobyanin, who said there were no fatalities in the capital.
The consequences of the raid, however, were much more destructive in the suburbs.
Earlier in the day, Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov reported damage in the Ramenskoye District, southeast of Moscow, where a 44-year-old woman was killed and five others, including two children, were injured when a drone hit an apartment building in the village of Sofyino.
In the nearby city of Ramenskoye, around 400 people, including 70 children, were evacuated from a 21-story apartment block after falling drone debris sparked a fire on the roof, with 20 vehicles also damaged.
Another person was killed in the Orekhovo-Zuyevo District, where a private home was destroyed and caught fire during the attack. The victim was an elderly man who was inside the building, according to the governor.
Elsewhere in Moscow Region, a warehouse complex caught fire in Sofyino, and a drone struck an apartment building in Kotelniki, setting apartments on three floors ablaze. The authorities are still determining whether anyone was injured.
Private homes were also damaged in Kolomna and Yegoryevsk, while fires broke out at apartment buildings in the Leninsky District, Lyubertsy, and Lytkarino. A residential building and an industrial facility were damaged in Istra, with no casualties reported.
The massive raid struck Moscow and the surrounding region just hours before polling stations were due to open for the final day of Russia’s three-day parliamentary elections.
Despite the attack, all 1,443 polling stations in Moscow opened on time, Moscow Election Commission Deputy Chairman Dmitry Reut told TASS.
Moscow has accused Kiev of undermining diplomatic efforts while publicly calling for renewed negotiations. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Ukrainian leadership is “talking about peace” while doing everything to prevent peace and negotiations.
Earlier this month, Putin ordered large-scale retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in response to attacks inside Russia.
Moscow has condemned the strikes on civilians as acts of terrorism, while maintaining that Russian forces only target military and defense-related facilities.
https://www.rt.com/russia/646001-two-russian-civilians-killed-ukrainian-drone-strike/
moar RT
https://www.rt.com/news/645997-us-sanctions-undermines-ukraine-peace/
https://www.rt.com/news/646005-russophobic-west-blame-ukraine-peace-chance/
https://www.rt.com/news/646004-eu-worst-energy-crisis-dmitriev/
https://www.rt.com/russia/645966-west-calls-it-russias-starlink/
Ukraine Strikes Russian Buk-M3, Nebo-U Radar, and Drone Site
Sept. 20, 2026, 2:51 pm
In brief: Ukrainian forces struck a Russian Buk-M3 air defense complex, a Nebo-U radar station, a drone production site in Severodonetsk, and command posts across occupied Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, the General Staff reported.
Ukrainian Defense Forces struck a Russian Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile system, a Nebo-U long-range surveillance radar, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing facility, and frontline command installations across occupied territories on Sept. 19-20.
According to the official military dispatch by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Ukrainian precision fire engaged high-value Russian air defense and reconnaissance assets deployed across three eastern and southern provinces.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian Buk-M3 medium-range surface-to-air missile complex deployed near the settlement of Ukrainka.
The Buk-M3 system is among Russia’s modernized mobile air defense assets designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and combat aircraft.
In the Donetsk region, a precision strike targeted and damaged a Russian Nebo-U early-warning radar station operating in the vicinity of Balka.
The Nebo-U system operates in the Very High Frequency (VHF) band and is engineered to detect, identify, and track aerodynamic and ballistic targets, including low-radar-cross-section aircraft and missiles, at ranges of several hundred kilometers.
Concurrently in the Luhansk region, Ukrainian units engaged an industrial facility utilized by Russian forces for manufacturing attack drones near the occupied city of Severodonetsk.
Ukrainian forces also struck tactical command nodes in the Donetsk region, hitting a Russian command and observation post near Zoryane and destroying a UAV control station located in the vicinity of Staromykhailivka.
Sustained campaign against Russian drone nodes and logistics
The overnight strikes follow consecutive Ukrainian precision engagements on Sept. 18-19 aimed at dismantling Russian tactical drone infrastructure, command nodes, and supply hubs in active operational zones.
In those operations, Ukrainian forces targeted multiple UAV control posts in the Zaporizhzhia region, striking command nodes near Volodymyrivka, Verbove, Dobropillya, and Rivnopillya, alongside two separate drone control installations near Novoprokopivka.
Ukrainian artillery and missile units additionally hit the Russian military’s “Vostochny” training range near the occupied settlement of Novopetrivka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
In the Donetsk region, earlier strikes hit Russian UAV command posts near Luhanske and Pokrovsk, while long-range fire struck a material and technical supply warehouse in Rybynske and an ammunition storage depot near Amvrosiivka.
The General Staff also confirmed battle damage assessments from cross-border strikes conducted earlier in the week, verifying that a Ukrainian strike on Sept. 17 damaged a Russian 80P6 surveillance radar station deployed near Mityuli in Russia’s Smolensk region.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/84948
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4165982-drone-attack-on-kyiv-region-industrial-warehouse-damaged-in-boyarka-private-enterprise-hit-in-novosilky.html
https://censor.net/en/news/4024372/over-400-flights-were-delayed-or-cancelled-in-moscow-following-a-drone-attack
other Russia and Ukraine
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/84939
https://united24media.com/world/russia-builds-secret-underground-workshops-for-shahed-drone-production-heres-what-satellite-images-reveal-22698
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4166065-russian-jetpowered-drone-hits-residential-area-near-odesa.html