NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars sets off-world driving record

The Mars Perseverance rover has set a new distance record on Mars. Watch its winding path across Mars in this animation, which shows its route from time of its 2021 landing to October 11, 2026. Video via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.

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Congratulations, Perseverance rover!

As of October 11, 2026, NASA’s Perseverance rover has driven 28.10 miles (45.22 km) on Mars. That’s a new off-world driving record for total distance driven by any vehicle on the surface of another world. The previous record of 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers) was held by NASA’s Opportunity rover. Perseverance reached that mark on the 2,006th Martian day, or sol, of its mission. NASA said;

It covered in five and a half years a distance that took Opportunity almost 15.

The six-wheeled geologist has in less than six years surpassed a mark set by the agency’s Opportunity rover, which explored the Red Planet for nearly 15 years.

The milestone came as Perseverance traveled toward an area called Idubi through the region off the western rim of Jezero Crater nicknamed Lac de Charmes. There, the rover is investigating what may be some of the oldest terrain ever explored in the solar system.

The rocks and terrain of Lac de Charmes are so ancient that their Earthly equivalents have long since been erased by erosion and plate tectonics. But Mars doesn’t have tectonic plates. And Idubi is where the science team hopes to find traces of ancient hydrothermal (heated water) systems.

Humans set goals, Perseverance self-drives

Much of the credit belongs to Perseverance’s self-driving capability, NASA said. Using an autonomous navigation system known as AutoNav, the rover images the terrain while rolling, builds a 3D map of hazards, and plots its course between waypoints selected by rover planners on Earth — a capability the team calls thinking while driving.

Perseverance can do all that at or near its top speed, covering as much as 1,351 feet (412 meters) in a single sol.

The six-wheeled scientist has driven more than 90% of its total distance using AutoNav to evaluate the terrain. That’s in contrast to about 5% for the first Martian AutoNav system on Opportunity and its twin, Spirit. Where NASA’s first Mars rover, Sojourner, assessed the path ahead using 20 measurement points, Perseverance processes 600,000 with every look.

Steven Lee, the project manager of the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said:

It is an honor to be working on Perseverance at a moment when the technology has evolved to the point that drives like these are routine. The original mission called for no more than 12.4 miles of driving. We’ve blown well past that, and with all mobility systems fully operational and favorable extended-ground-life test results, we expect Perseverance to keep adding to this record for many years to come.

NASA recently approved the mission’s first extension, which began in October and will carry Perseverance’s exploration of the crater rim through roughly the end of 2028.

One of Perseverance’s navigation cameras captured this shot on October 11, 2026, the Martian day, or sol, that a 299.6-foot (91.31-meter) drive pushed the rover’s total mileage past Opportunity’s 28.06-mile (45.16-km) record on Mars. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech.

3 decades of Mars rovers

Perseverance’s record caps nearly three decades of NASA rover operations on Mars, each mission driving farther and more capably than the last.

The microwave-oven-size Sojourner rover covered about 330 feet (100 meters) during its 83-sol mission in 1997. The golf-cart-size twins Spirit and Opportunity arrived in 2004 with 90-sol prime missions. Spirit logged 4.8 miles (7.7 km) before succumbing to the Martian winter in 2010. Opportunity kept rolling for 5,111 sols, completing the first extraterrestrial marathon in 2015 and setting the record Perseverance has now surpassed. The agency’s Curiosity rover, which landed in Gale Crater in 2012 and remains hard at work, has logged more than 23.65 miles (38.07 kilometers).

Mark Maimone, deputy team chief for robotic operations on Perseverance, said:

The rover that broke this record did so by making its own decisions about the path. Given the autonomy to just go, Perseverance is a better driver than the one that landed, and we’re not done,

Our newest software teaches Perseverance to steer less and roll more, and to check its own position against orbital maps mid-drive.

The next frontier is sunlight itself. Glare in the navigation cameras is why we park by mid-afternoon if we’re driving toward the sun, and if we can teach the rover to see past those artifacts, every rover that follows gets a longer working day.

Not just Mars, and why it matters

The extraterrestrial off-road driving record isn’t limited to Mars: Lunar driving records were broken earlier in the journey. Perseverance rolled past both the 22.2 miles (35.7 kilometers) covered by Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972 and the 24.2 miles (39 kilometers) driven by the Soviet Union’s Lunokhod 2 rover in 1973.

Setting distance records is just a bonus. Stamina and longer drives are putting more geologic diversity within reach faster — more outcrops examined and more of the Red Planet’s history read from its rocks. That reach carried Perseverance from an ancient lakebed up a fossilized river system, where the rover found a potential biosignature at a rock called Cheyava Falls, and on to the crater rim, where an entirely different kind of ancient habitat — hydrothermal (heated water) — may await.

Perseverance has collected 29 rock and regolith samples. The samples span the crater floor, a delta fan formed by a long-gone river, and now the crater rim. In the latter region, it has been exploring impact-generated rocks some 4 billion years old. On Earth, that chapter of planetary history has been almost entirely erased.

After Lac de Charmes, the rover will continue along the crater rim and head south during the extended mission towards Rainbow Falls, a 328-foot-wide (100-meter-wide) block of ancient crust uplifted by the impact that created Jezero.

This infographic illustrates the distances driven by various rovers on the surface of Earth’s Moon and Mars. Of the vehicles shown, the NASA Mars rovers Perseverance and Curiosity are still operational and moving across the surface; the figures shown for those two are distances driven as of Oct. 11, 2026. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Bottom line: The Mars Perseverance rover has set a new distance record on Mars. It has driven 28.10 miles (45.22 km). Perseverance reached that mark on October 11, 2026, the 2,006th Martian day, or sol, of its mission.

Read more: Perseverance rover takes its 6th-ever selfie on Mars

Read more: Curiosity rover insights after 5000+ sols on Mars

The post NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars sets off-world driving record first appeared on EarthSky.

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The Mars Perseverance rover has set a new distance record on Mars. Watch its winding path across Mars in this animation, which shows its route from time of its 2021 landing to October 11, 2026. Video via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.

You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

Congratulations, Perseverance rover!

As of October 11, 2026, NASA’s Perseverance rover has driven 28.10 miles (45.22 km) on Mars. That’s a new off-world driving record for total distance driven by any vehicle on the surface of another world. The previous record of 28.06 miles (45.16 kilometers) was held by NASA’s Opportunity rover. Perseverance reached that mark on the 2,006th Martian day, or sol, of its mission. NASA said;

It covered in five and a half years a distance that took Opportunity almost 15.

The six-wheeled geologist has in less than six years surpassed a mark set by the agency’s Opportunity rover, which explored the Red Planet for nearly 15 years.

The milestone came as Perseverance traveled toward an area called Idubi through the region off the western rim of Jezero Crater nicknamed Lac de Charmes. There, the rover is investigating what may be some of the oldest terrain ever explored in the solar system.

The rocks and terrain of Lac de Charmes are so ancient that their Earthly equivalents have long since been erased by erosion and plate tectonics. But Mars doesn’t have tectonic plates. And Idubi is where the science team hopes to find traces of ancient hydrothermal (heated water) systems.

Humans set goals, Perseverance self-drives

Much of the credit belongs to Perseverance’s self-driving capability, NASA said. Using an autonomous navigation system known as AutoNav, the rover images the terrain while rolling, builds a 3D map of hazards, and plots its course between waypoints selected by rover planners on Earth — a capability the team calls thinking while driving.

Perseverance can do all that at or near its top speed, covering as much as 1,351 feet (412 meters) in a single sol.

The six-wheeled scientist has driven more than 90% of its total distance using AutoNav to evaluate the terrain. That’s in contrast to about 5% for the first Martian AutoNav system on Opportunity and its twin, Spirit. Where NASA’s first Mars rover, Sojourner, assessed the path ahead using 20 measurement points, Perseverance processes 600,000 with every look.

Steven Lee, the project manager of the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said:

It is an honor to be working on Perseverance at a moment when the technology has evolved to the point that drives like these are routine. The original mission called for no more than 12.4 miles of driving. We’ve blown well past that, and with all mobility systems fully operational and favorable extended-ground-life test results, we expect Perseverance to keep adding to this record for many years to come.

NASA recently approved the mission’s first extension, which began in October and will carry Perseverance’s exploration of the crater rim through roughly the end of 2028.

One of Perseverance’s navigation cameras captured this shot on October 11, 2026, the Martian day, or sol, that a 299.6-foot (91.31-meter) drive pushed the rover’s total mileage past Opportunity’s 28.06-mile (45.16-km) record on Mars. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech.

3 decades of Mars rovers

Perseverance’s record caps nearly three decades of NASA rover operations on Mars, each mission driving farther and more capably than the last.

The microwave-oven-size Sojourner rover covered about 330 feet (100 meters) during its 83-sol mission in 1997. The golf-cart-size twins Spirit and Opportunity arrived in 2004 with 90-sol prime missions. Spirit logged 4.8 miles (7.7 km) before succumbing to the Martian winter in 2010. Opportunity kept rolling for 5,111 sols, completing the first extraterrestrial marathon in 2015 and setting the record Perseverance has now surpassed. The agency’s Curiosity rover, which landed in Gale Crater in 2012 and remains hard at work, has logged more than 23.65 miles (38.07 kilometers).

Mark Maimone, deputy team chief for robotic operations on Perseverance, said:

The rover that broke this record did so by making its own decisions about the path. Given the autonomy to just go, Perseverance is a better driver than the one that landed, and we’re not done,

Our newest software teaches Perseverance to steer less and roll more, and to check its own position against orbital maps mid-drive.

The next frontier is sunlight itself. Glare in the navigation cameras is why we park by mid-afternoon if we’re driving toward the sun, and if we can teach the rover to see past those artifacts, every rover that follows gets a longer working day.

Not just Mars, and why it matters

The extraterrestrial off-road driving record isn’t limited to Mars: Lunar driving records were broken earlier in the journey. Perseverance rolled past both the 22.2 miles (35.7 kilometers) covered by Apollo 17 astronauts Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972 and the 24.2 miles (39 kilometers) driven by the Soviet Union’s Lunokhod 2 rover in 1973.

Setting distance records is just a bonus. Stamina and longer drives are putting more geologic diversity within reach faster — more outcrops examined and more of the Red Planet’s history read from its rocks. That reach carried Perseverance from an ancient lakebed up a fossilized river system, where the rover found a potential biosignature at a rock called Cheyava Falls, and on to the crater rim, where an entirely different kind of ancient habitat — hydrothermal (heated water) — may await.

Perseverance has collected 29 rock and regolith samples. The samples span the crater floor, a delta fan formed by a long-gone river, and now the crater rim. In the latter region, it has been exploring impact-generated rocks some 4 billion years old. On Earth, that chapter of planetary history has been almost entirely erased.

After Lac de Charmes, the rover will continue along the crater rim and head south during the extended mission towards Rainbow Falls, a 328-foot-wide (100-meter-wide) block of ancient crust uplifted by the impact that created Jezero.

This infographic illustrates the distances driven by various rovers on the surface of Earth’s Moon and Mars. Of the vehicles shown, the NASA Mars rovers Perseverance and Curiosity are still operational and moving across the surface; the figures shown for those two are distances driven as of Oct. 11, 2026. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Bottom line: The Mars Perseverance rover has set a new distance record on Mars. It has driven 28.10 miles (45.22 km). Perseverance reached that mark on October 11, 2026, the 2,006th Martian day, or sol, of its mission.

Read more: Perseverance rover takes its 6th-ever selfie on Mars

Read more: Curiosity rover insights after 5000+ sols on Mars

The post NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars sets off-world driving record first appeared on EarthSky.

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Meet Aquarius the Water Bearer and its stars

Aquarius the Water Bearer is a constellation of the zodiac that contains mostly dim stars. You can see it best on a fall evening in the Northern Hemisphere or a spring evening in the Southern Hemisphere. Chart via EarthSky.

Lying on our sky’s dome between the constellations Capricornus and Pisces, Aquarius the Water Bearer is tricky to spot. There aren’t many bright stars in this constellation, and you’ll need a dark sky to get a good look at it.

It’s one of the 13 constellations of the zodiac, which means the sun, moon and planets occasionally pass within its boundaries.

When to see Aquarius

The best time to spot Aquarius is in the evening during a Northern Hemisphere autumn or Southern Hemisphere spring. Aquarius is just east of another zodiacal constellation, Capricornus.

And you can use the Great Square of Pegasus to guide you toward Aquarius.

From northerly latitudes, this constellation appears in the southern sky. South of the equator, it’s found overhead or high in the northern sky. You’ll see Aquarius highest in the sky in early October around 10 p.m. local time (11 p.m. local daylight saving time in the U.S.). Or try one month later – in early November – around 8 p.m. local time (9 p.m. local daylight saving time in the U.S.).

A sea in the sky

Aquarius lies in a region of the sky sometimes called the Sea. This part of the sky looks dark and deep, but of course there are stars here, as there are everywhere on the heavenly globe. The stars in this part of the sky tend to be faint. In western sky lore, early stargazers associated the star patterns here with water in a celestial sea.

It’s here we find Cetus the Whale, Pisces the Fish, Eridanus the River, and Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish.

The brightest star in this “watery” region of the sky is Fomalhaut in Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish. Aquarius the Water Bearer is usually portrayed as a man pouring a stream of water into the mouth of the Southern Fish, which is interesting since fish don’t drink water. In the sky, you’ll see a zigzag line of stars leading from Aquarius to Fomalhaut, the only bright star in the Celestial Sea. By the way, because it’s in such an apparently empty part of the sky, Fomalhaut is sometimes called the Loneliest Star.

The stars of Aquarius

The two brightest stars in Aquarius are the magnitude 2.9 Beta Aquarii, or Sadalsuud, and the magnitude 2.95 Alpha Aquarii, or Sadalmelik. The two stars are 10 degrees apart, or about the width of your fist held at arm’s length.

The next brightest star is magnitude 3.27 Delta Aquarii, or Skat. A triple star (visual only, not physically related) is the stars of Psi Aquarii. Their magnitudes range from 4.2 to 4.9.

If your sky is dark enough, you can see a little asterism – or noticeable pattern of stars within Aquarius – just to the left of the star Sadalmelik. This little pattern, shown within the orange dashed oval in the star map, is called the Water Jar in Aquarius. Imagine a cascade of faint stars as water, visible in very dark skies, making a zigzag stream of stars, flowing down toward Fomalhaut.

A map of the constellation Aquarius. The orange dashed oval region is the Water Jar asterism. You can imagine stars pouring out from the Water Jar into the open mouth of Piscis Austrinus. Image via IAU.

Deep-sky treasures in Aquarius

Aquarius is home to a number of Messier objects, including both clusters and nebulae.

The globular cluster M2 resides in Aquarius. M2 is above a line drawn between the Alpha and Beta stars. This globular cluster shines at magnitude 6.5 and lies about 37,000 light-years away.

M72 is another globular cluster that can be found in Aquarius. If you draw a line from Alpha, through Beta, and extend it 11 to 12 degrees forward, you’ll run into M72. While you can see M2 with binoculars, M72 is magnitude 9.4, so you’ll need a telescope. M72 lies 55,000 light-years away.

An open cluster in the same area as M72 is M73, just over 1 degree east from the globular cluster. It shines a bit brighter at magnitude 9 but is a smaller and less noticeable grouping of stars.

Close to M72 and M73 is the Saturn Nebula, or NGC 7009. This 8th-magnitude planetary nebula looks like the planet Saturn because its gassy halo includes a thin extension on both sides that look like rings.

Another well-known nebula, the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) lies in Aquarius. The Helix lies about 20 degrees below the stars Alpha and Beta. Although the Helix is magnitude 7.3, it’s hard to observe because its light extends over a large space. This nebula spreads out across 28 arcminutes, almost as large as a full moon. However, its appearance in photographs is quite stunning.

Aquarius in history and star lore

Aquarius is tied to an abundance of water, sometimes as a blessing and sometimes as a curse.

Greek mythology associates Aquarius with the deluge that wiped out all of humanity except for Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha. Zeus, king of the gods, unleashed the flood to punish people for their misdeeds. But Zeus advised the virtuous Deucalion to save himself by building an ark. This tale of divine retribution strongly parallels the story of the great flood in the Old Testament.

In ancient Egypt, the constellation Aquarius represented Hapi, god of the Nile River. This benevolent god distributed the waters of life, and the urn symbolized a fount of good fortune. It’s this association that explains why the Water Bearer is often seen holding the Norma Nilotica, a rod for measuring the depth of the Nile River. Also, the names of Aquarius’ two brightest stars – Sadalmelik and Sadalsuud – reaffirm the idea of providence. The names are thought to mean lucky one of the king and luckiest of the lucky.

An illustration of Aquarius the Water Bearer from Urania’s Mirror, a set of astronomical star charts first published in 1824. Notice the Water Jar asterism. Water flows from the jar towards Fomalhaut, in the mouth of the Southern Fish. Image via U.S. Library of Congress/ Wikimedia Commons.

Dates of sun’s passage through Aquarius

As seen from Earth, the sun passes in front of the constellation Aquarius from about February 16 to March 12. It is important to note that these dates are in reference to the constellation – not the sign – Aquarius. The sun is in the sign Aquarius from about January 20 to February 18. (A constellation of the zodiac refers to certain section of the starry sky.

On the other hand, a sign of the zodiac refers to the seasonal position of the sun, irrespective of what constellation backdrops the sun at a given season.)

You’ve no doubt heard the song The Age of Aquarius. Learn more about what that phrase means here.

Bottom line: Aquarius the Water Bearer is a faint zodiacal constellation, best seen in a dark sky.

The constellations of the zodiac

Meet Taurus the Bull in the evening sky
Meet Gemini the Twins, home to 2 bright stars
Meet Cancer the Crab and its Beehive Cluster
Leo the Lion and its backward question mark
Virgo the Maiden in northern spring skies
Meet Libra the Scales, a zodiacal constellation
Scorpius the Scorpion is a summertime delight
Sagittarius the Archer and its famous Teapot
Capricornus the Sea-goat has an arrowhead shape
Meet Aquarius the Water Bearer and its stars
Meet Pisces the Fish, 1st constellation of the zodiac
Say hello to Aries the Ram
Born under the sign of Ophiuchus?

The post Meet Aquarius the Water Bearer and its stars first appeared on EarthSky.

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Aquarius the Water Bearer is a constellation of the zodiac that contains mostly dim stars. You can see it best on a fall evening in the Northern Hemisphere or a spring evening in the Southern Hemisphere. Chart via EarthSky.

Lying on our sky’s dome between the constellations Capricornus and Pisces, Aquarius the Water Bearer is tricky to spot. There aren’t many bright stars in this constellation, and you’ll need a dark sky to get a good look at it.

It’s one of the 13 constellations of the zodiac, which means the sun, moon and planets occasionally pass within its boundaries.

When to see Aquarius

The best time to spot Aquarius is in the evening during a Northern Hemisphere autumn or Southern Hemisphere spring. Aquarius is just east of another zodiacal constellation, Capricornus.

And you can use the Great Square of Pegasus to guide you toward Aquarius.

From northerly latitudes, this constellation appears in the southern sky. South of the equator, it’s found overhead or high in the northern sky. You’ll see Aquarius highest in the sky in early October around 10 p.m. local time (11 p.m. local daylight saving time in the U.S.). Or try one month later – in early November – around 8 p.m. local time (9 p.m. local daylight saving time in the U.S.).

A sea in the sky

Aquarius lies in a region of the sky sometimes called the Sea. This part of the sky looks dark and deep, but of course there are stars here, as there are everywhere on the heavenly globe. The stars in this part of the sky tend to be faint. In western sky lore, early stargazers associated the star patterns here with water in a celestial sea.

It’s here we find Cetus the Whale, Pisces the Fish, Eridanus the River, and Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish.

The brightest star in this “watery” region of the sky is Fomalhaut in Piscis Austrinus the Southern Fish. Aquarius the Water Bearer is usually portrayed as a man pouring a stream of water into the mouth of the Southern Fish, which is interesting since fish don’t drink water. In the sky, you’ll see a zigzag line of stars leading from Aquarius to Fomalhaut, the only bright star in the Celestial Sea. By the way, because it’s in such an apparently empty part of the sky, Fomalhaut is sometimes called the Loneliest Star.

The stars of Aquarius

The two brightest stars in Aquarius are the magnitude 2.9 Beta Aquarii, or Sadalsuud, and the magnitude 2.95 Alpha Aquarii, or Sadalmelik. The two stars are 10 degrees apart, or about the width of your fist held at arm’s length.

The next brightest star is magnitude 3.27 Delta Aquarii, or Skat. A triple star (visual only, not physically related) is the stars of Psi Aquarii. Their magnitudes range from 4.2 to 4.9.

If your sky is dark enough, you can see a little asterism – or noticeable pattern of stars within Aquarius – just to the left of the star Sadalmelik. This little pattern, shown within the orange dashed oval in the star map, is called the Water Jar in Aquarius. Imagine a cascade of faint stars as water, visible in very dark skies, making a zigzag stream of stars, flowing down toward Fomalhaut.

A map of the constellation Aquarius. The orange dashed oval region is the Water Jar asterism. You can imagine stars pouring out from the Water Jar into the open mouth of Piscis Austrinus. Image via IAU.

Deep-sky treasures in Aquarius

Aquarius is home to a number of Messier objects, including both clusters and nebulae.

The globular cluster M2 resides in Aquarius. M2 is above a line drawn between the Alpha and Beta stars. This globular cluster shines at magnitude 6.5 and lies about 37,000 light-years away.

M72 is another globular cluster that can be found in Aquarius. If you draw a line from Alpha, through Beta, and extend it 11 to 12 degrees forward, you’ll run into M72. While you can see M2 with binoculars, M72 is magnitude 9.4, so you’ll need a telescope. M72 lies 55,000 light-years away.

An open cluster in the same area as M72 is M73, just over 1 degree east from the globular cluster. It shines a bit brighter at magnitude 9 but is a smaller and less noticeable grouping of stars.

Close to M72 and M73 is the Saturn Nebula, or NGC 7009. This 8th-magnitude planetary nebula looks like the planet Saturn because its gassy halo includes a thin extension on both sides that look like rings.

Another well-known nebula, the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) lies in Aquarius. The Helix lies about 20 degrees below the stars Alpha and Beta. Although the Helix is magnitude 7.3, it’s hard to observe because its light extends over a large space. This nebula spreads out across 28 arcminutes, almost as large as a full moon. However, its appearance in photographs is quite stunning.

Aquarius in history and star lore

Aquarius is tied to an abundance of water, sometimes as a blessing and sometimes as a curse.

Greek mythology associates Aquarius with the deluge that wiped out all of humanity except for Deucalion and his wife Pyrrha. Zeus, king of the gods, unleashed the flood to punish people for their misdeeds. But Zeus advised the virtuous Deucalion to save himself by building an ark. This tale of divine retribution strongly parallels the story of the great flood in the Old Testament.

In ancient Egypt, the constellation Aquarius represented Hapi, god of the Nile River. This benevolent god distributed the waters of life, and the urn symbolized a fount of good fortune. It’s this association that explains why the Water Bearer is often seen holding the Norma Nilotica, a rod for measuring the depth of the Nile River. Also, the names of Aquarius’ two brightest stars – Sadalmelik and Sadalsuud – reaffirm the idea of providence. The names are thought to mean lucky one of the king and luckiest of the lucky.

An illustration of Aquarius the Water Bearer from Urania’s Mirror, a set of astronomical star charts first published in 1824. Notice the Water Jar asterism. Water flows from the jar towards Fomalhaut, in the mouth of the Southern Fish. Image via U.S. Library of Congress/ Wikimedia Commons.

Dates of sun’s passage through Aquarius

As seen from Earth, the sun passes in front of the constellation Aquarius from about February 16 to March 12. It is important to note that these dates are in reference to the constellation – not the sign – Aquarius. The sun is in the sign Aquarius from about January 20 to February 18. (A constellation of the zodiac refers to certain section of the starry sky.

On the other hand, a sign of the zodiac refers to the seasonal position of the sun, irrespective of what constellation backdrops the sun at a given season.)

You’ve no doubt heard the song The Age of Aquarius. Learn more about what that phrase means here.

Bottom line: Aquarius the Water Bearer is a faint zodiacal constellation, best seen in a dark sky.

The constellations of the zodiac

Meet Taurus the Bull in the evening sky
Meet Gemini the Twins, home to 2 bright stars
Meet Cancer the Crab and its Beehive Cluster
Leo the Lion and its backward question mark
Virgo the Maiden in northern spring skies
Meet Libra the Scales, a zodiacal constellation
Scorpius the Scorpion is a summertime delight
Sagittarius the Archer and its famous Teapot
Capricornus the Sea-goat has an arrowhead shape
Meet Aquarius the Water Bearer and its stars
Meet Pisces the Fish, 1st constellation of the zodiac
Say hello to Aries the Ram
Born under the sign of Ophiuchus?

The post Meet Aquarius the Water Bearer and its stars first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/7bxZORL

Amazon wildfires hide another threat to the rainforest

Tropical rainforests are among the world’s richest ecosystems and play a vital role in the global carbon cycle. A new study on Amazon wildfires reveals how fire-related pollution can threaten their ability to absorb carbon. Image via Alexander Cheesman/ University of Exeter.

Wildfires in the Amazon have consequences that go far beyond the destruction of vegetation. A new study has uncovered a less visible threat: ozone produced during these events also harms trees that survive the flames, damaging their leaves and making it harder for them to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2).

This effect can go unnoticed when attention focuses solely on the direct damage caused by fire. Yet it represents an additional loss for the rainforest’s carbon balance and can become more severe during periods of intense drought.

Researchers from the University of Exeter, ETH Zurich and James Cook University published their peer-reviewed study in the journal Communications Earth & Environment on October 7, 2026.

Amazon wildfires and human responsibility

Almost all fires in the Amazon are started by people, mainly to clear land for agriculture and cattle ranching. However, these fires can get out of control and spread into surrounding areas of rainforest, destroying vast stretches of woodland.

Wildfires release CO2 into the atmosphere, but their effects do not end when the flames die out. They also produce pollutants that contribute to the formation of tropospheric ozone. This ozone occurs in the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere, which extends from the Earth’s surface upwards.

Unlike ozone in the stratosphere, which protects us from much of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, tropospheric ozone is harmful to human health and vegetation. It damages the leaves of surviving trees and reduces their ability to absorb CO2. In this way, wildfires not only release carbon by burning forests but also make it harder for the surviving rainforest to absorb some of that carbon.

This is a damaged Homalanthus novoguineensis leaf. Ozone exposure can damage tree leaves, reducing their ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Image via Alexander Cheesman/ University of Exeter.

The threat to surviving trees

Tropospheric ozone pollution damages tree leaves and reduces the efficiency of photosynthesis, the process through which trees absorb CO2. As a result, even areas that have not been directly burned can lose some of their ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere.

The researchers estimate that this additional reduction in carbon uptake is equivalent to around 24% of the carbon released directly by wildfires. Flossie Brown, the study’s lead author from ETH Zurich, explains that the consequences of wildfires go beyond the emissions produced by combustion:

Forest fires don’t just release CO2 when they burn. They also contribute to the rise in ground-level ozone, a pollutant that damages the leaves of surviving trees and reduces their ability to keep absorbing carbon afterwards. We found this hidden effect is equivalent to around a quarter of the carbon released by the fires themselves — a significant loss to the Amazon’s carbon budget that hasn’t previously been considered.

To investigate this phenomenon, the team analyzed observations covering the period from 1997 to 2024 and used a global vegetation model. This allowed them to examine the relationship between wildfires, ozone damage and the Amazon’s ability to absorb CO2. The results also showed that the impact is not constant: it can become more severe when climatic conditions are particularly harsh.

The TropOz experimental facility at James Cook University’s Nguma-bada campus, where researchers investigate how ozone affects vegetation. Image via Alexander Cheesman/ University of Exeter.

El Niño and droughts can worsen the impact

Although human activities play a major role in many Amazon wildfires, climatic conditions can intensify their effects. Severe droughts put vegetation under greater stress and can worsen the damage suffered by the rainforest.

One important factor is El Niño, the warm phase of a natural climate phenomenon that alters weather patterns in different parts of the world. It is not caused by human activity, but global warming raises baseline temperatures and can intensify some of its effects.

Three of the most severe Amazon droughts in recent decades — in 1997–1998, 2015–2016 and 2023–2024 — coincided with El Niño events. During the 2023–2024 drought, ozone-related damage almost doubled compared with the average for the previous decade.

The researchers warn that a strong El Niño event could once again create conditions that are damaging to the rainforest. However, this climate phenomenon should not be confused with the cause of deforestation: it can intensify the damage, while logging and burning associated with human land use remain fundamental factors that can be directly addressed.

Protecting the Amazon requires a joined-up approach

The findings show that the impact of wildfires extends far beyond the CO2 they release as forests burn. Ozone pollution also weakens surviving trees and reduces the Amazon’s ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere. When this effect coincides with extreme climatic conditions, the consequences for the rainforest can be even more severe.

Stephen Sitch, from the University of Exeter, highlights that reducing deforestation and forest degradation would not only cut direct wildfire emissions but also protect the rainforest from this additional loss of carbon:

Reducing deforestation and forest degradation would cut direct fire emissions — but our study shows it would also protect the Amazon from this secondary, invisible source of carbon loss.

As Alexander Cheesman, from James Cook University, points out:

These impacts interact and need to be considered together.

The conclusion is clear: protecting the Amazon means not only preventing more trees from burning, but also preserving the ability of the surviving rainforest to continue absorbing CO2. This requires action to tackle deforestation while also taking the effects of air pollution and climate change into account. Ignoring any of these connections means overlooking part of the problem.

Love wildlife and the natural world? Get the latest animal stories — as well as space and night sky updates delivered to your inbox.

Bottom line: Amazon wildfires are weakening the rainforest’s ability to absorb carbon, as ozone pollution damages trees that survive the flames.

Source: Fire-derived ozone intensifies carbon loss in Amazon forests under extreme droughts

Via University of Exeter

Read more: Will El Niño become supersized? What experts are saying

Read more: How does smoke from wildfires affect birds?

The post Amazon wildfires hide another threat to the rainforest first appeared on EarthSky.

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Tropical rainforests are among the world’s richest ecosystems and play a vital role in the global carbon cycle. A new study on Amazon wildfires reveals how fire-related pollution can threaten their ability to absorb carbon. Image via Alexander Cheesman/ University of Exeter.

Wildfires in the Amazon have consequences that go far beyond the destruction of vegetation. A new study has uncovered a less visible threat: ozone produced during these events also harms trees that survive the flames, damaging their leaves and making it harder for them to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2).

This effect can go unnoticed when attention focuses solely on the direct damage caused by fire. Yet it represents an additional loss for the rainforest’s carbon balance and can become more severe during periods of intense drought.

Researchers from the University of Exeter, ETH Zurich and James Cook University published their peer-reviewed study in the journal Communications Earth & Environment on October 7, 2026.

Amazon wildfires and human responsibility

Almost all fires in the Amazon are started by people, mainly to clear land for agriculture and cattle ranching. However, these fires can get out of control and spread into surrounding areas of rainforest, destroying vast stretches of woodland.

Wildfires release CO2 into the atmosphere, but their effects do not end when the flames die out. They also produce pollutants that contribute to the formation of tropospheric ozone. This ozone occurs in the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere, which extends from the Earth’s surface upwards.

Unlike ozone in the stratosphere, which protects us from much of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, tropospheric ozone is harmful to human health and vegetation. It damages the leaves of surviving trees and reduces their ability to absorb CO2. In this way, wildfires not only release carbon by burning forests but also make it harder for the surviving rainforest to absorb some of that carbon.

This is a damaged Homalanthus novoguineensis leaf. Ozone exposure can damage tree leaves, reducing their ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Image via Alexander Cheesman/ University of Exeter.

The threat to surviving trees

Tropospheric ozone pollution damages tree leaves and reduces the efficiency of photosynthesis, the process through which trees absorb CO2. As a result, even areas that have not been directly burned can lose some of their ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere.

The researchers estimate that this additional reduction in carbon uptake is equivalent to around 24% of the carbon released directly by wildfires. Flossie Brown, the study’s lead author from ETH Zurich, explains that the consequences of wildfires go beyond the emissions produced by combustion:

Forest fires don’t just release CO2 when they burn. They also contribute to the rise in ground-level ozone, a pollutant that damages the leaves of surviving trees and reduces their ability to keep absorbing carbon afterwards. We found this hidden effect is equivalent to around a quarter of the carbon released by the fires themselves — a significant loss to the Amazon’s carbon budget that hasn’t previously been considered.

To investigate this phenomenon, the team analyzed observations covering the period from 1997 to 2024 and used a global vegetation model. This allowed them to examine the relationship between wildfires, ozone damage and the Amazon’s ability to absorb CO2. The results also showed that the impact is not constant: it can become more severe when climatic conditions are particularly harsh.

The TropOz experimental facility at James Cook University’s Nguma-bada campus, where researchers investigate how ozone affects vegetation. Image via Alexander Cheesman/ University of Exeter.

El Niño and droughts can worsen the impact

Although human activities play a major role in many Amazon wildfires, climatic conditions can intensify their effects. Severe droughts put vegetation under greater stress and can worsen the damage suffered by the rainforest.

One important factor is El Niño, the warm phase of a natural climate phenomenon that alters weather patterns in different parts of the world. It is not caused by human activity, but global warming raises baseline temperatures and can intensify some of its effects.

Three of the most severe Amazon droughts in recent decades — in 1997–1998, 2015–2016 and 2023–2024 — coincided with El Niño events. During the 2023–2024 drought, ozone-related damage almost doubled compared with the average for the previous decade.

The researchers warn that a strong El Niño event could once again create conditions that are damaging to the rainforest. However, this climate phenomenon should not be confused with the cause of deforestation: it can intensify the damage, while logging and burning associated with human land use remain fundamental factors that can be directly addressed.

Protecting the Amazon requires a joined-up approach

The findings show that the impact of wildfires extends far beyond the CO2 they release as forests burn. Ozone pollution also weakens surviving trees and reduces the Amazon’s ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere. When this effect coincides with extreme climatic conditions, the consequences for the rainforest can be even more severe.

Stephen Sitch, from the University of Exeter, highlights that reducing deforestation and forest degradation would not only cut direct wildfire emissions but also protect the rainforest from this additional loss of carbon:

Reducing deforestation and forest degradation would cut direct fire emissions — but our study shows it would also protect the Amazon from this secondary, invisible source of carbon loss.

As Alexander Cheesman, from James Cook University, points out:

These impacts interact and need to be considered together.

The conclusion is clear: protecting the Amazon means not only preventing more trees from burning, but also preserving the ability of the surviving rainforest to continue absorbing CO2. This requires action to tackle deforestation while also taking the effects of air pollution and climate change into account. Ignoring any of these connections means overlooking part of the problem.

Love wildlife and the natural world? Get the latest animal stories — as well as space and night sky updates delivered to your inbox.

Bottom line: Amazon wildfires are weakening the rainforest’s ability to absorb carbon, as ozone pollution damages trees that survive the flames.

Source: Fire-derived ozone intensifies carbon loss in Amazon forests under extreme droughts

Via University of Exeter

Read more: Will El Niño become supersized? What experts are saying

Read more: How does smoke from wildfires affect birds?

The post Amazon wildfires hide another threat to the rainforest first appeared on EarthSky.

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Arizona’s Chiricahua poised to become 64th US National Park

A viewing platform at Massai Point in Chiricahua National Monument. Image via Lucy Whitt. Used with permission.

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Arizona’s Chiricahua poised to become 64th US National Park

A quiet national monument tucked into southeastern Arizona is poised to become North America’s newest national park. Chiricahua National Monument — which towers with rock formations and is home to animals such as the coatimundi — could soon become the 64th national park in the United States. Chiricahua National Park would join the three other national parks in Arizona: Petrified Forest, Saguaro and the Grand Canyon.

On September 30, 2026, the U.S. Congress passed legislation to redesignate the monument as a national park. Now the bill just awaits the U.S. president’s signature.

The legislation keeps the existing boundaries of the park. It also doesn’t change the federal ownership and management of the park. What it will do is draw many more visitors to the area, which can be both a benefit and a drawback, especially in this time of cuts to the National Park Service’s budget.

Chiricahua is a wonderland of rocks

Chiricahua, sitting in the Chiricahua Mountains, is famous for its bizarre collection of rock formations. The National Park Service describes the landscape as a collection of rhyolite pinnacles and balanced rocks. Ancient volcanic eruptions some 27 million years ago led to what we see today as a wonderland of rocks.

The eruptions layered ash and molten rock that compacted into what geologists call rhyolite tuff. Eventually water and wind erosion wore down the softer parts of the rock. What remains are the stacked pinnacles and hoodoos we see today.

Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona is poised to become the 64th U.S. national park. Read more about the unique land and animals of Chiricahua below. Image via NPS.

An International Dark Sky Park

Chiricahua National Monument is already designated an International Dark Sky Park. These parks conserve the night sky and are excellent for stargazing. And Arizona’s desert environment is already well-known for its night skies. It’s the home of many astronomy observatories.

Chiricahua is open 24 hours a day. The National Park Service suggests stargazing from locations such as Massai Point and Echo Canyon Trailhead. And, of course, campgrounds are another great spot. Just throw your sleeping bag under the stars!

A view from Massai Point Nature Trail in Chiricahua National Monument in September 2026. Image via Lucy Whitt. Used with permission.

What lives in these lands?

Chiricahua is home to a wide variety of animal life. Just a few of the many animals you might see here include black bears, white-tailed deer, rattlesnakes and the tiger salamander. Plus, some 200 species of birds have been documented here.

But one of the big draws for animal watchers in the park are the coatimundi. These long-tailed members of the raccoon family are more common in South America, but you can also find them here in the Chiricahua Mountains. Because coati are active during daylight hours and social animals, you have a good chance to see them playing together in the park.

A curious coatimundi walks toward the camera in Chiricahua. Image via Lucy Whitt. Used with permission.

Concerns with national park status

There are some concerns with changing the national monument to a national park. About 70,400 visitors came to Chiricahua in 2025. And it probably isn’t prepared for the increase in visitation once it receives national park status.

There is only one campground in Chiricahua, with 26 sites. There is no lodge. More tourism will mean more pressure on roads, trails, wildlife habitat, water resources and park staff. But more tourism could also be a boon to surrounding communities. And more visitors means more people will realize the value of this land and wish to protect it.

As always, the designation of land to a national park can have both benefits and drawbacks.

Have you visited Chiricahua National Monument? Let us know in the comments.

Bottom line: Chiricahua National Monument in the southeastern corner of Arizona is poised to become the U.S.’s 64th national park.

Read more: Stargazing in national parks around the world

The post Arizona’s Chiricahua poised to become 64th US National Park first appeared on EarthSky.

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A viewing platform at Massai Point in Chiricahua National Monument. Image via Lucy Whitt. Used with permission.

You deserve a daily dose of good news. For the latest in science and the night sky, subscribe to EarthSky’s free daily newsletter.

Arizona’s Chiricahua poised to become 64th US National Park

A quiet national monument tucked into southeastern Arizona is poised to become North America’s newest national park. Chiricahua National Monument — which towers with rock formations and is home to animals such as the coatimundi — could soon become the 64th national park in the United States. Chiricahua National Park would join the three other national parks in Arizona: Petrified Forest, Saguaro and the Grand Canyon.

On September 30, 2026, the U.S. Congress passed legislation to redesignate the monument as a national park. Now the bill just awaits the U.S. president’s signature.

The legislation keeps the existing boundaries of the park. It also doesn’t change the federal ownership and management of the park. What it will do is draw many more visitors to the area, which can be both a benefit and a drawback, especially in this time of cuts to the National Park Service’s budget.

Chiricahua is a wonderland of rocks

Chiricahua, sitting in the Chiricahua Mountains, is famous for its bizarre collection of rock formations. The National Park Service describes the landscape as a collection of rhyolite pinnacles and balanced rocks. Ancient volcanic eruptions some 27 million years ago led to what we see today as a wonderland of rocks.

The eruptions layered ash and molten rock that compacted into what geologists call rhyolite tuff. Eventually water and wind erosion wore down the softer parts of the rock. What remains are the stacked pinnacles and hoodoos we see today.

Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona is poised to become the 64th U.S. national park. Read more about the unique land and animals of Chiricahua below. Image via NPS.

An International Dark Sky Park

Chiricahua National Monument is already designated an International Dark Sky Park. These parks conserve the night sky and are excellent for stargazing. And Arizona’s desert environment is already well-known for its night skies. It’s the home of many astronomy observatories.

Chiricahua is open 24 hours a day. The National Park Service suggests stargazing from locations such as Massai Point and Echo Canyon Trailhead. And, of course, campgrounds are another great spot. Just throw your sleeping bag under the stars!

A view from Massai Point Nature Trail in Chiricahua National Monument in September 2026. Image via Lucy Whitt. Used with permission.

What lives in these lands?

Chiricahua is home to a wide variety of animal life. Just a few of the many animals you might see here include black bears, white-tailed deer, rattlesnakes and the tiger salamander. Plus, some 200 species of birds have been documented here.

But one of the big draws for animal watchers in the park are the coatimundi. These long-tailed members of the raccoon family are more common in South America, but you can also find them here in the Chiricahua Mountains. Because coati are active during daylight hours and social animals, you have a good chance to see them playing together in the park.

A curious coatimundi walks toward the camera in Chiricahua. Image via Lucy Whitt. Used with permission.

Concerns with national park status

There are some concerns with changing the national monument to a national park. About 70,400 visitors came to Chiricahua in 2025. And it probably isn’t prepared for the increase in visitation once it receives national park status.

There is only one campground in Chiricahua, with 26 sites. There is no lodge. More tourism will mean more pressure on roads, trails, wildlife habitat, water resources and park staff. But more tourism could also be a boon to surrounding communities. And more visitors means more people will realize the value of this land and wish to protect it.

As always, the designation of land to a national park can have both benefits and drawbacks.

Have you visited Chiricahua National Monument? Let us know in the comments.

Bottom line: Chiricahua National Monument in the southeastern corner of Arizona is poised to become the U.S.’s 64th national park.

Read more: Stargazing in national parks around the world

The post Arizona’s Chiricahua poised to become 64th US National Park first appeared on EarthSky.

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Check out the Double Cluster in Perseus on October evenings

Here’s an easy way to use the prominent M or W shape of Cassiopeia to locate the Double Cluster in Perseus.

Double Cluster in Perseus

The Double Cluster in Perseus consists of two open star clusters near each other on the sky’s dome. Amateur astronomers know them as h Persei and chi Persei. The two clusters reside in the northern part of the constellation Perseus, quite close to the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen.

If you have a dark sky and find Cassiopeia – which is easy, because the constellation has a distinctive M or W shape – be sure to look for Perseus, too. Then just scan between the two constellations with your binoculars for two glittering groups of stars. The Double Cluster – a breathtaking pair of open clusters, each containing supergiant suns – will be there.

These two star clusters are located about 7,500 light-years away. It’s amazing that we can see these stars at all across this great span of space. Plus, we know they must be intrinsically bright stars, or we wouldn’t be able to see them. Each cluster contains a few hundred stars, and, indeed, these stars are young, hot supergiant suns. They are many thousands of times more luminous than our sun.

Astronomers tell us that the Double Cluster lies within the Perseus arm of the Milky Way galaxy. However, our solar system resides in the inner part of the Orion arm. Therefore, looking at the Double Cluster, we are looking through our local spiral arm and all the way to the next spiral arm outward from the galactic center.

How to find the Double Cluster in Perseus

To locate the Double Cluster, find the W- or M-shaped constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. If your sky is dark enough, you will be able to see the graceful pattern of Perseus the Hero nearby. Then scan between them with binoculars to find the Double Cluster.

The Perseus Double Cluster is located between Cassiopeia and Perseus. Scan the area between them with binoculars and you’ll find the 2 glittering star clusters. Image via Stellarium.org. Used with permission.

Starting at mid-northern latitudes, the Double Cluster is circumpolar, so it’s above the horizon every night of the year at any hour of the night. If you are farther south (but still in the Northern Hemisphere), try looking for the Double Cluster on any clear autumn or winter night.

But remember, the Double Cluster is harder to see when it’s close to the horizon. If you can’t spot it between Cassiopeia and Perseus, wait until later at night. Or look later in the year, when it’s higher in the sky.

For general reference, the Double Cluster is high in the sky when the Big Dipper is low, and vice versa. Because the Big Dipper is lowest in the northern sky on late autumn and early winter evenings, the Double Cluster is highest in the northern sky at these times. As a matter of fact, the Double Cluster is pretty much always visible in the evening except in late spring and summer.

The Double Cluster in Perseus is visible to the unaided eye

The Double Cluster rates among the most magnificent deep-sky objects not to be included in the famous Messier catalog. Of course, Charles Messier (1730-1817) was looking for deep-sky objects that could be mistaken for comets. Maybe he thought nobody would see this pair of glittery clusters as a comet in the sky.

Although considered a deep-sky jewel, the Double Cluster is visible to the unaided eye in a dark country sky.

If you zoom in on them with binoculars or a wide view telescope, you’ll see them as two glorious star clusters. Also they’re an easy target through a telescope and will wow your friends!

The position of h Persei is Right Ascension: 2h 19m; Declination: 57^o 9′ north

The position of chi Persei is Right Ascension: 2h 22.4m; Declination: 57^o 7′ north

The Double Cluster from our EarthSky Community

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Makrem Larnaout in Tunisia made this 34-hour telescopic exposure of the Double Cluster in Perseus with surrounding nebulosity, on October 1, 2024. Makrem wrote: “Here’s a new image of the stunning Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus, captured over several nights with the Skywatcher ED80 Esprit and ZWO ASI 2600MC. This pair of open clusters shines with young, blue stars surrounded by subtle red hues, beautifully captured in hydrogen-alpha and RGB for maximum detail and contrast. Each imaging session brought out more depth and brilliance, highlighting the richness of this region of the sky.” That’s impressive. Thank you, Makrem!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Newport, Oregon, captured this telescopic view of the Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus on November 24, 2023. Jeremy wrote: “The Double Cluster is the beautiful pair of NGC 869 (h Persei) and NGC 884 (chi Persei), containing over 300 blue-white supergiants and a scattering of red supergiants. The cluster is also blue-shifted as it inches its way 24 miles [39 km] closer to Earth every second. It is visible to the unaided eye and lurks near the distinct ‘W’ of Cassiopeia.” Thank you, Jeremy!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mario Rana in Hampton, Virginia, captured this telescopic view of the Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC 869 and NGC 884) on September 18, 2023. Mario explained this could be his favorite deep-sky object. Thank you, Mario!

Bottom line: On any autumn or winter evening, scan between Cassiopeia and Perseus for the magnificent Double Cluster in Perseus. The stars in these two clusters are young, hot supergiant suns that are many thousands of times more luminous than our sun.

The post Check out the Double Cluster in Perseus on October evenings first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/ITqz3Uo

Here’s an easy way to use the prominent M or W shape of Cassiopeia to locate the Double Cluster in Perseus.

Double Cluster in Perseus

The Double Cluster in Perseus consists of two open star clusters near each other on the sky’s dome. Amateur astronomers know them as h Persei and chi Persei. The two clusters reside in the northern part of the constellation Perseus, quite close to the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen.

If you have a dark sky and find Cassiopeia – which is easy, because the constellation has a distinctive M or W shape – be sure to look for Perseus, too. Then just scan between the two constellations with your binoculars for two glittering groups of stars. The Double Cluster – a breathtaking pair of open clusters, each containing supergiant suns – will be there.

These two star clusters are located about 7,500 light-years away. It’s amazing that we can see these stars at all across this great span of space. Plus, we know they must be intrinsically bright stars, or we wouldn’t be able to see them. Each cluster contains a few hundred stars, and, indeed, these stars are young, hot supergiant suns. They are many thousands of times more luminous than our sun.

Astronomers tell us that the Double Cluster lies within the Perseus arm of the Milky Way galaxy. However, our solar system resides in the inner part of the Orion arm. Therefore, looking at the Double Cluster, we are looking through our local spiral arm and all the way to the next spiral arm outward from the galactic center.

How to find the Double Cluster in Perseus

To locate the Double Cluster, find the W- or M-shaped constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. If your sky is dark enough, you will be able to see the graceful pattern of Perseus the Hero nearby. Then scan between them with binoculars to find the Double Cluster.

The Perseus Double Cluster is located between Cassiopeia and Perseus. Scan the area between them with binoculars and you’ll find the 2 glittering star clusters. Image via Stellarium.org. Used with permission.

Starting at mid-northern latitudes, the Double Cluster is circumpolar, so it’s above the horizon every night of the year at any hour of the night. If you are farther south (but still in the Northern Hemisphere), try looking for the Double Cluster on any clear autumn or winter night.

But remember, the Double Cluster is harder to see when it’s close to the horizon. If you can’t spot it between Cassiopeia and Perseus, wait until later at night. Or look later in the year, when it’s higher in the sky.

For general reference, the Double Cluster is high in the sky when the Big Dipper is low, and vice versa. Because the Big Dipper is lowest in the northern sky on late autumn and early winter evenings, the Double Cluster is highest in the northern sky at these times. As a matter of fact, the Double Cluster is pretty much always visible in the evening except in late spring and summer.

The Double Cluster in Perseus is visible to the unaided eye

The Double Cluster rates among the most magnificent deep-sky objects not to be included in the famous Messier catalog. Of course, Charles Messier (1730-1817) was looking for deep-sky objects that could be mistaken for comets. Maybe he thought nobody would see this pair of glittery clusters as a comet in the sky.

Although considered a deep-sky jewel, the Double Cluster is visible to the unaided eye in a dark country sky.

If you zoom in on them with binoculars or a wide view telescope, you’ll see them as two glorious star clusters. Also they’re an easy target through a telescope and will wow your friends!

The position of h Persei is Right Ascension: 2h 19m; Declination: 57^o 9′ north

The position of chi Persei is Right Ascension: 2h 22.4m; Declination: 57^o 7′ north

The Double Cluster from our EarthSky Community

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Makrem Larnaout in Tunisia made this 34-hour telescopic exposure of the Double Cluster in Perseus with surrounding nebulosity, on October 1, 2024. Makrem wrote: “Here’s a new image of the stunning Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus, captured over several nights with the Skywatcher ED80 Esprit and ZWO ASI 2600MC. This pair of open clusters shines with young, blue stars surrounded by subtle red hues, beautifully captured in hydrogen-alpha and RGB for maximum detail and contrast. Each imaging session brought out more depth and brilliance, highlighting the richness of this region of the sky.” That’s impressive. Thank you, Makrem!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jeremy Likness in Newport, Oregon, captured this telescopic view of the Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus on November 24, 2023. Jeremy wrote: “The Double Cluster is the beautiful pair of NGC 869 (h Persei) and NGC 884 (chi Persei), containing over 300 blue-white supergiants and a scattering of red supergiants. The cluster is also blue-shifted as it inches its way 24 miles [39 km] closer to Earth every second. It is visible to the unaided eye and lurks near the distinct ‘W’ of Cassiopeia.” Thank you, Jeremy!

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mario Rana in Hampton, Virginia, captured this telescopic view of the Double Cluster in Perseus (NGC 869 and NGC 884) on September 18, 2023. Mario explained this could be his favorite deep-sky object. Thank you, Mario!

Bottom line: On any autumn or winter evening, scan between Cassiopeia and Perseus for the magnificent Double Cluster in Perseus. The stars in these two clusters are young, hot supergiant suns that are many thousands of times more luminous than our sun.

The post Check out the Double Cluster in Perseus on October evenings first appeared on EarthSky.

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Did formaldehyde on ancient Mars help kickstart life?

View larger. | Artist’s concept of the ancient lake in Gale crater. A new study from researchers in Japan suggests that ancient rains on Mars likely brought atmospheric formaldehyde to the surface. And that could potentially have helped life get started on the Red Planet. Image via Kevin Gill/ Flickr.

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• We know that Mars once had lots of water on its surface. And a new study says there might have been formaldehyde in some of that water.
• Atmospheric formaldehyde was likely brought down to the surface through rainfall, the researchers in Japan suggests.
• In water, formaldehyde can kickstart the chemical reactions to produce the sugars and organic molecules needed for life.

Follow the ancient rains on Mars

Did life once exist on Mars? Various clues in recent years have moved the answer toward “quite likely.” But we still don’t know for sure. Now there’s another possible clue: formaldehyde.

Scientists said on October 1, 2026, that atmospheric formaldehyde could have mixed with rainwater billions of years ago. And in water, formaldehyde can help start chemical reactions that produce sugars, amino acids and other complex organic molecules needed to start life.

The researchers — from Tohoku University, the Earth-Life Science Institute and the Institute of Science Tokyo in Japan — wanted to know where this formaldehyde would have actually been present on Mars’ surface. The new study makes some interesting findings.

The intriguing new peer-reviewed results were published in The Planetary Science Journal on September 30, 2026.

Formaldehyde on ancient Mars

We know that Mars once had plentiful water on its surface, including rain, rivers, lakes and a probable ocean. And some studies have shown that the early atmosphere on Mars likely produced formaldehyde, a pungent, colorless gas.

Why is that important? When formaldehyde is mixed in water, something very interesting happens. Chemical reactions create sugars, amino acids and other complex organic molecules. These are the molecules needed to help give a kickstart to life.

View larger. | Distribution of atmospheric formaldehyde on ancient Mars. Darker colors show larger amounts on the surface. Various landing sites of landers and rovers are also marked. Image via Shungo Koyama et al./ The Planetary Science Journal.

Where was the formaldehyde?

If there was formaldehyde on Mars long ago, where exactly was it? The researchers created a global map showing where the gas would most likely have been located on the surface.

They simulated the warmer conditions of the time, about 3.8 to 3.6 billion years ago. With this model, the researchers studied how temperature, water vapor, pressure and ultraviolet (UV) light affected the formation of formaldehyde.

The results indicated that water vapor was of particular importance. First, UV light broke down the water molecules. This released reactive hydrogen , which was needed to form the formaldehyde.

Then, rains brought the formaldehyde down to the surface. Based on this, the researchers concluded that areas with more water had more formaldehyde. So basically, the water cycle determined which areas would have more formaldehyde.

Lead author Shungo Koyama at the Institute of Science Tokyo and Tohoku University said:

By comparing our map with findings from rovers, we can begin to test whether places that received more H2CO were also more favorable for early life-related chemistry. If future observations confirm this relationship, our map could help identify promising targets for future Mars missions.

Shungo Koyama at the Institute of Science Tokyo and Tohoku University led the new study about formaldehyde and rain on ancient Mars. Image via ResearchGate.

Mountainous regions get the most formaldehyde

As it turned out, mountainous regions received the most rainfall and had the most formaldehyde. In fact, regions like Tharsis and Elysium had 10 times more formaldehyde than the global average. Both areas have huge towering volcanoes.

To note, this estimate is for how much formaldehyde Mars had way back then, not now.

Did formaldehyde help start life on Earth?

Back in 2011, another study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that formaldehyde might have also helped start life on Earth.

Scientists think that billions of years ago, a Mars-sized object slammed into the Earth, blasting out debris that formed the moon. The collision, most experts say, caused huge numbers of organic molecules to flee our planet. But sticky formaldehyde molecules held onto a fair chunk of Earth’s carbon that we might have otherwise lost. We might owe our existence to that ancient formaldehyde.

Bottom line: Formaldehyde in the ancient rains on Mars might have provided crucial chemical reactions needed for life to begin on the red planet billions of years ago.

Source: Global Distribution of Atmospheric Formaldehyde Deposition Correlated with Water Vapor on a Warm Early Mars

Via Tohoku University

Read more: Formaldehyde might have helped start life on Earth

Read more: New study says rain on ancient Mars fed rivers and lakes

The post Did formaldehyde on ancient Mars help kickstart life? first appeared on EarthSky.

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View larger. | Artist’s concept of the ancient lake in Gale crater. A new study from researchers in Japan suggests that ancient rains on Mars likely brought atmospheric formaldehyde to the surface. And that could potentially have helped life get started on the Red Planet. Image via Kevin Gill/ Flickr.

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• We know that Mars once had lots of water on its surface. And a new study says there might have been formaldehyde in some of that water.
• Atmospheric formaldehyde was likely brought down to the surface through rainfall, the researchers in Japan suggests.
• In water, formaldehyde can kickstart the chemical reactions to produce the sugars and organic molecules needed for life.

Follow the ancient rains on Mars

Did life once exist on Mars? Various clues in recent years have moved the answer toward “quite likely.” But we still don’t know for sure. Now there’s another possible clue: formaldehyde.

Scientists said on October 1, 2026, that atmospheric formaldehyde could have mixed with rainwater billions of years ago. And in water, formaldehyde can help start chemical reactions that produce sugars, amino acids and other complex organic molecules needed to start life.

The researchers — from Tohoku University, the Earth-Life Science Institute and the Institute of Science Tokyo in Japan — wanted to know where this formaldehyde would have actually been present on Mars’ surface. The new study makes some interesting findings.

The intriguing new peer-reviewed results were published in The Planetary Science Journal on September 30, 2026.

Formaldehyde on ancient Mars

We know that Mars once had plentiful water on its surface, including rain, rivers, lakes and a probable ocean. And some studies have shown that the early atmosphere on Mars likely produced formaldehyde, a pungent, colorless gas.

Why is that important? When formaldehyde is mixed in water, something very interesting happens. Chemical reactions create sugars, amino acids and other complex organic molecules. These are the molecules needed to help give a kickstart to life.

View larger. | Distribution of atmospheric formaldehyde on ancient Mars. Darker colors show larger amounts on the surface. Various landing sites of landers and rovers are also marked. Image via Shungo Koyama et al./ The Planetary Science Journal.

Where was the formaldehyde?

If there was formaldehyde on Mars long ago, where exactly was it? The researchers created a global map showing where the gas would most likely have been located on the surface.

They simulated the warmer conditions of the time, about 3.8 to 3.6 billion years ago. With this model, the researchers studied how temperature, water vapor, pressure and ultraviolet (UV) light affected the formation of formaldehyde.

The results indicated that water vapor was of particular importance. First, UV light broke down the water molecules. This released reactive hydrogen , which was needed to form the formaldehyde.

Then, rains brought the formaldehyde down to the surface. Based on this, the researchers concluded that areas with more water had more formaldehyde. So basically, the water cycle determined which areas would have more formaldehyde.

Lead author Shungo Koyama at the Institute of Science Tokyo and Tohoku University said:

By comparing our map with findings from rovers, we can begin to test whether places that received more H2CO were also more favorable for early life-related chemistry. If future observations confirm this relationship, our map could help identify promising targets for future Mars missions.

Shungo Koyama at the Institute of Science Tokyo and Tohoku University led the new study about formaldehyde and rain on ancient Mars. Image via ResearchGate.

Mountainous regions get the most formaldehyde

As it turned out, mountainous regions received the most rainfall and had the most formaldehyde. In fact, regions like Tharsis and Elysium had 10 times more formaldehyde than the global average. Both areas have huge towering volcanoes.

To note, this estimate is for how much formaldehyde Mars had way back then, not now.

Did formaldehyde help start life on Earth?

Back in 2011, another study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that formaldehyde might have also helped start life on Earth.

Scientists think that billions of years ago, a Mars-sized object slammed into the Earth, blasting out debris that formed the moon. The collision, most experts say, caused huge numbers of organic molecules to flee our planet. But sticky formaldehyde molecules held onto a fair chunk of Earth’s carbon that we might have otherwise lost. We might owe our existence to that ancient formaldehyde.

Bottom line: Formaldehyde in the ancient rains on Mars might have provided crucial chemical reactions needed for life to begin on the red planet billions of years ago.

Source: Global Distribution of Atmospheric Formaldehyde Deposition Correlated with Water Vapor on a Warm Early Mars

Via Tohoku University

Read more: Formaldehyde might have helped start life on Earth

Read more: New study says rain on ancient Mars fed rivers and lakes

The post Did formaldehyde on ancient Mars help kickstart life? first appeared on EarthSky.

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Why leaves change color in the autumn

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Paul Shouse captured this photo on December 12, 2025, in Japan and wrote: “An old garden bench under a Japanese maple tree.” Thank you, Paul!

Why do leaves change color in the autumn?

With autumn setting in for those in the Northern Hemisphere, the leaves on the trees are beginning their miraculous yearly color transformation. Why do leaves change color in fall?

Throughout the spring and summer, the deep green color of chlorophyll, which helps plants absorb life-giving sunlight, hides any other colors present in the leaves of trees. So the vivid yellows and oranges of fall leaves are there, but hidden.

In the fall, trees break down the green pigments and nutrients stored in their leaves. Then, the nutrients move into the tree’s roots for reuse in the spring. It’s then that the trees take on their autumn hues.

As leaves lose their chlorophyll, other pigments become visible to the human eye, according to Bryan A. Hanson, a former professor of chemistry and biochemistry at DePauw University who studies plant pigments. For example, some tree leaves turn mostly brown, indicating that all pigments are gone.

VIew at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lois Vanbroekhoven captured this image of colorful autumn leaves and the full Harvest Moon from Michigan on September 26, 2026. Thank you, Lois!

What brings out the reds in leaves?

Burgundy and red colors are a different story. Dana A. Dudle is a DePauw professor of biology who researches red pigment in plant flowers, stems and leaves. Dudle said:

The red color is actively made in leaves by bright light and cold. The crisp, cold nights in the fall combine with bright, sunny days to spur production of red in leaves, especially in sugar maple and red maple trees. Burgundy leaves often result from a combination of red pigment and chlorophyll. Autumn seasons with a lot of sunny days and cold nights will have the brightest colors.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sharon Kizer, who is mother to EarthSky’s Kelly Kizer Whitt, took this image of fiery maples and rain clouds on October 9, 2022, in Madison, Wisconsin. It illustrates some of the vivid reds of autumn as leaves change color. Thank you, Sharon!

Sometimes there is a mixture of colors when leaves change

In some cases, about half of a tree’s leaves are red or orange and the other half green. Dudle says that results from micro-environmental factors, such as only half the tree being exposed to sunlight or cold.

Hardwoods in the Midwest and on the East Coast are famous for good color selections. Some of the more reliably colorful trees, Hanson notes, are liquidambar trees (also called sweetgum) that turn a variety of colors on the same tree, and sometimes the same leaf. Ash tree leaves often turn a deep burgundy color. Ginkgo trees, although not native to North America, will feature an intense yellow, almost golden, color.

When leaves turn color they might be protecting the tree

The colors are doing something for the plant, or they wouldn’t be there, said Hansen. But what is the colors’ purpose?

Scientists think that with some trees, pigments serve as a kind of sunscreen to filter out sunlight. Hanson said:

It’s an underappreciated fact that plants cannot take an infinite amount of sun. Some leaves, if they get too much sun, will get something equivalent of a sunburn. They get stressed out and die.

Another theory is that the color of a plant’s leaves is often related to the ability to warn away pests or attract insect pollinators. Hanson said:

In some cases, a plant and insect might have co-evolved. One of the more intriguing scientific theories is that the beautiful leaf colors we see today are indicative of a relationship between a plant and insects that developed millions of years ago. However, as the Earth’s climate changed over the years, the insects might have gone extinct, but the plant was able to survive for whatever reason.

Because plants evolve very slowly, we still see the colors. So leaf color is a fossil memory, something that existed for a reason millions of years ago but that serves no purpose now.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sudhir Sharma captured this sea of colorful autumn leaves on October 31, 2025, in New York! Thank you, Sudhir!

Lake Superior 2024

EarthSky’s roving nature reporter, Kelly Kizer Whitt, spent October 3 to 5, 2024, at Minnesota’s North Shore, where the arrowhead of Minnesota meets Lake Superior. She hiked around and took in some of the area’s most popular sights, while the fall colors were at their peak. Watch a video that captures the best of this autumn explosion.

Bottom line: Why do leaves change color in the autumn? Here’s what biologists say.

Why don’t evergreen trees change colors and drop their leaves?

The post Why leaves change color in the autumn first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/Q7ZHhCm

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Paul Shouse captured this photo on December 12, 2025, in Japan and wrote: “An old garden bench under a Japanese maple tree.” Thank you, Paul!

Why do leaves change color in the autumn?

With autumn setting in for those in the Northern Hemisphere, the leaves on the trees are beginning their miraculous yearly color transformation. Why do leaves change color in fall?

Throughout the spring and summer, the deep green color of chlorophyll, which helps plants absorb life-giving sunlight, hides any other colors present in the leaves of trees. So the vivid yellows and oranges of fall leaves are there, but hidden.

In the fall, trees break down the green pigments and nutrients stored in their leaves. Then, the nutrients move into the tree’s roots for reuse in the spring. It’s then that the trees take on their autumn hues.

As leaves lose their chlorophyll, other pigments become visible to the human eye, according to Bryan A. Hanson, a former professor of chemistry and biochemistry at DePauw University who studies plant pigments. For example, some tree leaves turn mostly brown, indicating that all pigments are gone.

VIew at EarthSky Community Photos. | Lois Vanbroekhoven captured this image of colorful autumn leaves and the full Harvest Moon from Michigan on September 26, 2026. Thank you, Lois!

What brings out the reds in leaves?

Burgundy and red colors are a different story. Dana A. Dudle is a DePauw professor of biology who researches red pigment in plant flowers, stems and leaves. Dudle said:

The red color is actively made in leaves by bright light and cold. The crisp, cold nights in the fall combine with bright, sunny days to spur production of red in leaves, especially in sugar maple and red maple trees. Burgundy leaves often result from a combination of red pigment and chlorophyll. Autumn seasons with a lot of sunny days and cold nights will have the brightest colors.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sharon Kizer, who is mother to EarthSky’s Kelly Kizer Whitt, took this image of fiery maples and rain clouds on October 9, 2022, in Madison, Wisconsin. It illustrates some of the vivid reds of autumn as leaves change color. Thank you, Sharon!

Sometimes there is a mixture of colors when leaves change

In some cases, about half of a tree’s leaves are red or orange and the other half green. Dudle says that results from micro-environmental factors, such as only half the tree being exposed to sunlight or cold.

Hardwoods in the Midwest and on the East Coast are famous for good color selections. Some of the more reliably colorful trees, Hanson notes, are liquidambar trees (also called sweetgum) that turn a variety of colors on the same tree, and sometimes the same leaf. Ash tree leaves often turn a deep burgundy color. Ginkgo trees, although not native to North America, will feature an intense yellow, almost golden, color.

When leaves turn color they might be protecting the tree

The colors are doing something for the plant, or they wouldn’t be there, said Hansen. But what is the colors’ purpose?

Scientists think that with some trees, pigments serve as a kind of sunscreen to filter out sunlight. Hanson said:

It’s an underappreciated fact that plants cannot take an infinite amount of sun. Some leaves, if they get too much sun, will get something equivalent of a sunburn. They get stressed out and die.

Another theory is that the color of a plant’s leaves is often related to the ability to warn away pests or attract insect pollinators. Hanson said:

In some cases, a plant and insect might have co-evolved. One of the more intriguing scientific theories is that the beautiful leaf colors we see today are indicative of a relationship between a plant and insects that developed millions of years ago. However, as the Earth’s climate changed over the years, the insects might have gone extinct, but the plant was able to survive for whatever reason.

Because plants evolve very slowly, we still see the colors. So leaf color is a fossil memory, something that existed for a reason millions of years ago but that serves no purpose now.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Sudhir Sharma captured this sea of colorful autumn leaves on October 31, 2025, in New York! Thank you, Sudhir!

Lake Superior 2024

EarthSky’s roving nature reporter, Kelly Kizer Whitt, spent October 3 to 5, 2024, at Minnesota’s North Shore, where the arrowhead of Minnesota meets Lake Superior. She hiked around and took in some of the area’s most popular sights, while the fall colors were at their peak. Watch a video that captures the best of this autumn explosion.

Bottom line: Why do leaves change color in the autumn? Here’s what biologists say.

Why don’t evergreen trees change colors and drop their leaves?

The post Why leaves change color in the autumn first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/Q7ZHhCm