Daily Highlight

On 2026-11-05, space weather remained remarkably settled. The planetary Kp index peaked at a mild 1.7, remaining well below the threshold for notable storms. By the late evening, the index fell to a near-silent 0. Solar wind speed clocked in at a steady 375 km/s, while the interplanetary magnetic field component, Bz, sat at -3.9 nT. These conditions failed to energise the magnetosphere, resulting in a hemispheric aurora power of 0 GW. The Sun stayed quiet, producing only a minor B-class flare, a stark contrast to the intense archive events recorded in previous solar cycles.

While the magnetosphere dozed, the night sky offered a different spectacle. The annual Taurids meteor shower reached its peak on 2026-11-05. Originating from the debris of comet 2P/Encke, the shower’s radiant sat firmly in the constellation Taurus. Observers tracking the local forecast for clear skies reported a zenithal hourly rate of up to 10 meteors. These slow-moving fireballs are often associated with larger fragments, which occasionally generate public interest regarding asteroids and other near-Earth objects.

Data from NASA CNEOS confirmed that the asteroid 2026 VP1 was the closest object of note passing by the vicinity today. Despite the usual chatter surrounding such flybys and the occasional misidentification as UAP, the space rock posed no threat to the planet. Further technical details regarding this solar cycle can be found in our glossary or via the NOAA SWPC. Readers looking for visual documentation of the day’s quiet solar disc or the Taurids’ streak across the horizon may consult our imagery collection. For those interested in historical context, the silence of this 24-hour period serves as a baseline against which to measure the more volatile weather patterns of the past.