Good Morning Observers. Ben's Videoo
Mostly quiet day. Large coronal hole facing earth turning out of view in a few days. Filaments broke free for possibly 2 CMEs.
Waiting on NOAA to update the ENLIL spiral. Pink or red on top, followed by green is ok. Pink toenail or letting the pink skirt show is bad.
Ozone Hole took more damage from Oct 10th solar storm. Red sprites are getting bigger as more happens to the atmosphere and Earth's magnetic field weakens.
Earthquakes are 6.2 in Papua New Guinea and a 2.4 in Alex Oklahoma.
Drag effects on satellites from solar wind and solar storms. :
| Altitude | Constellation | Storm / quiet |
|---|
| 350 km | Starlink, low shell | 1.5× |
| 480 km | Starlink, main shell | 2.1× |
| 555 km | Starlink, high shell | 3.0× |
| 630 km | Amazon Kuiper | 2.0× |
| 1,200 km | OneWeb | 1.3× |
The response climbs with altitude to about 550 km, then turns over and is nearly gone by 1,200 km. Heated oxygen expands upward until it thins out into the exosphere. Textbooks predict the climb. The turnover is the kind of thing you only see with sensors at six heights.
Firearm news. Get a suppressor and save your ears.
The ATF said Friday it will no longer require anyone to get federal approval before making or transferring suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns or "any other weapons," and will no longer require those items to be registered, in guidance that extends a Texas court ruling to every gun owner, not just the plaintiffs who won it.
"Effective October 9, 2026, ATF will no longer require individuals to seek ATF approval under the NFA" to make or transfer the items, the agency said in an
open letter to licensed dealers,
the Daily Caller reported. The letter adds that "these policies apply uniformly to anyone otherwise subject to these requirements, not just to the plaintiffs in the litigation." A companion
FAQ says Form 4 transfer applications are no longer required for the covered items.
That is also the catch.
This is an enforcement policy, not a repeal, so the statute remains on the books and a future administration could change course. Several limits remain:
- The $200 NFA tax and the full NFA regime still apply to machine guns and destructive devices.
- Dealers must still complete Form 4473s, run NICS background checks and keep records under the Gun Control Act.
- Interstate transport of short-barreled rifles and shotguns still requires ATF approval on a Form 20.
- State and local laws are unaffected, and ATF will keep processing NFA applications where a state still requires registration.
- This does not affect state driven waiting periods or gun buy limits.
ddd
