Sky Briefing #007 — Solar Storm, New Moon and Two Firsts
Monday, just after 12:00 UTC: the CME from Region 4461 hits Earth. Kp 6. Aurora down to Illinois and Oregon. Three days later the darkest sky window of June opens. While the atmosphere settles, SAS writes a new chapter in India, and EVA Air prepares the first nonstop between Taipei and Washington D.C.
Skies
Monday’s G3 watch brought aurora to mid-latitudes — mild activity may linger. NOAA SWPC issued a G3 watch for Monday, June 8 (CME from AR 4461, M1.8 flare on June 6, arrival around 12:00 UTC). Kp hit 6 in isolated periods; aurora was visible to about 50°N, with stronger phases reaching 42°N (Illinois latitude). Kp 3–4 is possible through Tuesday and Wednesday. Night flights at northern latitudes: keep the poleward window in view, and check NOAA’s 3-day forecast before you board. NOAA SWPC — G2/G3 Geomagnetic Storm Watches
New Moon on June 14 opens the best dark-sky window of the northern summer. From roughly June 12 through June 19, there is almost no moonlight after midnight UTC. The galactic center sits in the south around 01:00–02:00 UTC; on night flights over the Atlantic or Pacific the Milky Way structure is visible to the naked eye with a darkened cabin. Best nights: June 13–17. NASA — Skywatching Tips June 2026
Aviation
Lufthansa’s four-month-old 787-9 lost its nose gear at the gate in Frankfurt. D-ABPQ, delivered January 2026, 137 flights in service, was being prepared for LH450 to Los Angeles at stand A15 on June 4 around 10:45 UTC when the nose landing gear collapsed. No passengers on board; two cabin crew and several ground staff were taken to hospital. Germany’s Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation has launched a formal probe. Cause not confirmed. Four months old, 137 flights. That is not a worn aircraft. Flightradar24 — Lufthansa 787 Nose Gear Collapse
SAS is back in India after 17 years, five times weekly to Mumbai. From June 2, SAS operates Copenhagen–Mumbai (CPH–BOM) five times weekly with an A330. Departure CPH 13:10, arrival BOM 01:30 next day. The route has been absent from SAS’s network since 2009. The schedule is built for North American connections that arrive in Copenhagen in the morning. Scandinavia–India nonstop is real again. SAS — CPH–Mumbai Route Launch
Taipei to Washington nonstop on June 26: no Taiwanese carrier had ever served the U.S. capital. EVA Air launches four weekly nonstop flights between Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) and Washington Dulles (IAD) on June 26, operated by 787-9. Departures from IAD on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Washington was the one city absent from every Taiwanese carrier’s North American map — a conspicuous gap in a ten-destination network. Fourth-generation Premium Economy on board. EVA Air — TPE–IAD Route Launch
because you need to know when the Milky Way shows up right after the solar storm ends.