ah fuggedaboudit....looks like something pretty wicked comes our way. (remember john is describing his vision where he was able to see the heavenly realm AND the earthly realm)
from this it looks like something not only comes into the earth's atmosphere but affects other bodies as well or at least stirs up enough in the atmosphere so it darkens the other heavenly bodies.
Revelation 8:6-12
Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water 11the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
True, but as I've mentioned on another board, John's description sounds more like nuclear war breaking out on the planet.