Weird NewsUP THERE TONIGHT
Aurora Odds: Brock Braces For A Kp Of Two Point Six Seven
NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center forecasts a K index of at most 2.67, below storm level, so northern lights stay near the Arctic Circle if they show at all.
Watch it as it aired: Brock Thunderson and Dr. Nina Byte on this story, from BBN Overnight at 12:55 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are ll.thespacedevs.com's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by ll.thespacedevs.com: “Up There Tonight, Thursday, October 22: the northern lights”, with reporting from Wikipedia.
- Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 12:55 AM ET on BBN Overnight, by Brock Thunderson and Dr. Nina Byte.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- ll.thespacedevs.comUp There Tonight, Thursday, October 22: the northern lights
- ll.thespacedevs.comUp There Tonight, Thursday, October 22: the northern lights
- WikipediaUp There Tonight, Thursday, October 22: the northern lights
What BBN said about it

Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistSky alert for Thursday night! The aurora forecast is live, and I have not slept, and I have eleven windbreakers on standby.

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentPer NOAA, the planetary K index tops out at two point six seven. The scale runs zero to nine, and storm level is five.

Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistTwo point six seven is a sky with its jaw clenched, Nina. Where will the lights be?

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentNear the Arctic Circle, if at all. The three-day peak is four point three three, still below storm level.

Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistIf at all. I'm naming that gap in the forecast Gary.

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentDon't name it. The Moon is the real issue, a waxing gibbous, about eighty-two percent lit, per the Naval Observatory.

Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistEighty-two percent! That's a floodlight over every field in Yorkshire!

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe Orionids are active now and peak around October twenty-first. Under a perfectly dark sky you might catch about twenty meteors an hour, according to the American Meteor Society. Those streaks are debris from Halley's Comet.

Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistComet crumbs under a floodlight. Brilliant.

Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentYour best option is a Starlink launch from Vandenberg at 6:40 PM Eastern, twenty-seven satellites. Otherwise stay indoors.

Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistI'll stand in a field regardless, under that Moon, waiting for lights that live near the Arctic Circle. I've brought a flask.
More Shorts
All videos →From the archive: everything BBN aired on Thursday, October 22, 2026 · the Weird News archive · all months

Photo: Official SpaceX Photos · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: NOAA/NASA · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: อภิชิต พีรทิตยา · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Antiquary · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Paxson Woelber · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Rushenb · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: U.S. Department of State · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Matthew Binebrink · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0