NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite captured these cloud streets flowing off the southeastern U.S. on February 1, 2026. Read more about cloud streets below. Image via NOAA.
On February 3, 2026, NOAA shared the above image of clouds rolling off the southeastern United States in neat columns. Meteorologists call this phenomenon cloud streets. NOAA said:
The recent Arctic blast that prompted freeze warnings as far south as southern Florida also created a captivating phenomenon over the waters of the Gulf and Atlantic on Sunday, February 1, 2026. NOAA’s GOES East satellite captured long, parallel bands of clouds called horizontal convective rolls.
Better known as ‘cloud streets,’ these formations can develop when cold, dry air flows over relatively warmer water. As the air absorbs heat and moisture from below, rows of long, parallel lines of cumulus clouds form, usually aligned with the wind direction. In the satellite imagery above, a gap of clear skies is visible between the coastline and where the cloud streets begin. That’s due to the time and distance it takes the cold air to pick up the heat and moisture from the water to form clouds.
The frigid air that plunged southward on Sunday was some of the coldest that Florida has seen in years. Temperatures dropped to 23 degrees Fahrenheit in Winter Haven, 29 degrees in Tampa, 30 degrees in West Palm Beach and 35 degrees in Miami.
Cloud streets are long rows of cumulus clouds that are oriented parallel to the direction of the wind. Their technical name, more specifically, is horizontal convective rolls. As a matter of fact, you’ve probably seen them in satellite photos. Typically, they most often form straight rows, but when the wind driving the clouds hits an obstacle, the clouds might curl into patterns and become von Kármán vortex streets.
These cloud streets appeared over the Great Lakes on January 20, 2022. Image via MODIS Land Rapid Response Team/ NASA/ GSFC.These cloud streets appeared over the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia, on December 28, 2023. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured these parallel lines of cumulus clouds. Image via Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/ Worldview/ NASA’s Earth Observatory.
How do cloud streets form?
Convection rolls of rising warm air and sinking cool air form cloud streets. First, rising warm air cools gradually as it ascends into the atmosphere. Then, when moisture in the warm air mass cools and condenses, it forms clouds. Meanwhile, sinking cool air on either side of the cloud formation zone creates a cloud-free area. Later, when several of these alternating rising and sinking air masses align with the wind, cloud streets develop.
This diagram depicts convection rolls and the formation of cloud streets. Image via NOAA.
Typically, cloud streets form fairly straight lines over large, flat areas such as the ocean. However, when geological features like islands disrupt the flow of the wind, this disruption can create spiral patterns in the cloud streets. This is similar to the way in which large boulders create downstream eddies in rivers. Notably, the spiral patterns in clouds, called von Kármán vortex streets, were named after Theodore von Kármán, a co-founder of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was one of the first scientists to describe this type of atmospheric phenomenon.
Meteorological phenomena such as cloud streets and von Kármán vortices are a manifestation of Earth’s atmosphere in motion.
The view from above
NASA has taken some amazing photographs of cloud streets over the past few years with MODIS on board the Terra and Aqua satellites. The satellite images on this page are from these instruments.
The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image of a von Kármán vortex street that formed off the coast of Greenland on February 24, 2009. Image via NASA/ Jeff Schmaltz/ MODIS Rapid Response Team. Read more about this image.The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of cloud streets over the Black Sea on January 8, 2015. Image via NASA Earth Observatory/ Jeff Schmaltz. Read more about this image.The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite captured these cloud streets over the Bering Sea on January 20, 2006. Image via Jesse Allen/ NASA. Read more about this image.View larger. | Typically, cloud streets are most readily seen in satellite photography, but this aerial image comes from Rosimar Ríos Berríos, via NOAA/ Hurricane Research Division.
Bottom line: See a new video of cloud streets from off the coast of the southeastern U.S. and read more about the phenomenon here.
NOAA’s GOES-19 satellite captured these cloud streets flowing off the southeastern U.S. on February 1, 2026. Read more about cloud streets below. Image via NOAA.
On February 3, 2026, NOAA shared the above image of clouds rolling off the southeastern United States in neat columns. Meteorologists call this phenomenon cloud streets. NOAA said:
The recent Arctic blast that prompted freeze warnings as far south as southern Florida also created a captivating phenomenon over the waters of the Gulf and Atlantic on Sunday, February 1, 2026. NOAA’s GOES East satellite captured long, parallel bands of clouds called horizontal convective rolls.
Better known as ‘cloud streets,’ these formations can develop when cold, dry air flows over relatively warmer water. As the air absorbs heat and moisture from below, rows of long, parallel lines of cumulus clouds form, usually aligned with the wind direction. In the satellite imagery above, a gap of clear skies is visible between the coastline and where the cloud streets begin. That’s due to the time and distance it takes the cold air to pick up the heat and moisture from the water to form clouds.
The frigid air that plunged southward on Sunday was some of the coldest that Florida has seen in years. Temperatures dropped to 23 degrees Fahrenheit in Winter Haven, 29 degrees in Tampa, 30 degrees in West Palm Beach and 35 degrees in Miami.
Cloud streets are long rows of cumulus clouds that are oriented parallel to the direction of the wind. Their technical name, more specifically, is horizontal convective rolls. As a matter of fact, you’ve probably seen them in satellite photos. Typically, they most often form straight rows, but when the wind driving the clouds hits an obstacle, the clouds might curl into patterns and become von Kármán vortex streets.
These cloud streets appeared over the Great Lakes on January 20, 2022. Image via MODIS Land Rapid Response Team/ NASA/ GSFC.These cloud streets appeared over the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia, on December 28, 2023. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured these parallel lines of cumulus clouds. Image via Michala Garrison, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/ Worldview/ NASA’s Earth Observatory.
How do cloud streets form?
Convection rolls of rising warm air and sinking cool air form cloud streets. First, rising warm air cools gradually as it ascends into the atmosphere. Then, when moisture in the warm air mass cools and condenses, it forms clouds. Meanwhile, sinking cool air on either side of the cloud formation zone creates a cloud-free area. Later, when several of these alternating rising and sinking air masses align with the wind, cloud streets develop.
This diagram depicts convection rolls and the formation of cloud streets. Image via NOAA.
Typically, cloud streets form fairly straight lines over large, flat areas such as the ocean. However, when geological features like islands disrupt the flow of the wind, this disruption can create spiral patterns in the cloud streets. This is similar to the way in which large boulders create downstream eddies in rivers. Notably, the spiral patterns in clouds, called von Kármán vortex streets, were named after Theodore von Kármán, a co-founder of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was one of the first scientists to describe this type of atmospheric phenomenon.
Meteorological phenomena such as cloud streets and von Kármán vortices are a manifestation of Earth’s atmosphere in motion.
The view from above
NASA has taken some amazing photographs of cloud streets over the past few years with MODIS on board the Terra and Aqua satellites. The satellite images on this page are from these instruments.
The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image of a von Kármán vortex street that formed off the coast of Greenland on February 24, 2009. Image via NASA/ Jeff Schmaltz/ MODIS Rapid Response Team. Read more about this image.The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of cloud streets over the Black Sea on January 8, 2015. Image via NASA Earth Observatory/ Jeff Schmaltz. Read more about this image.The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite captured these cloud streets over the Bering Sea on January 20, 2006. Image via Jesse Allen/ NASA. Read more about this image.View larger. | Typically, cloud streets are most readily seen in satellite photography, but this aerial image comes from Rosimar Ríos Berríos, via NOAA/ Hurricane Research Division.
Bottom line: See a new video of cloud streets from off the coast of the southeastern U.S. and read more about the phenomenon here.
Mercury, as seen by NASA’s MESSENGER orbiter. Through a new analysis of MESSENGER’s images, researchers have found surprising geological activity on our solar system’s innermost planet. Image via NASA.
Strange streaks on Mercury hint at an active world
A new study suggests the reports of Mercury’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
Until now, Mercury’s barren and unchanging surface has long led scientists to believe that it’s a dead, geologically inactive world. But recently, researchers found evidence that geological processes continue to shape the surface of our sun’s innermost planet.
By analyzing images captured by the Mercury-orbiting MESSENGER spacecraft between 2011 and 2015, scientists uncovered and mapped some 400 lineae – strange, bright streaks – scattered across Mercury.
The researchers believe volatile material spewing from beneath the planet’s surface created these streaks. And this geological activity, they said, is likely continuing today.
The research team, from the University of Bern and the Astronomical Observatory of Padua (INAF), published its findings on January 27, 2026, in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment.
According to a new study, these bright streaks on Mercury – long considered a dead world – point to unexpected recent geological activity on the planet’s surface. The MESSENGER spacecraft took this image on April 10, 2014. Image via NASA/ JHUAPL/ Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Strange bright streaks on Mercury
This exciting discovery comes from the first ever mapping of lineae on Mercury. Lineae is a catch-all term referring to any long markings on a world’s surface. These features have been observed throughout the solar system, most notably on Mars and Jupiter’s moon Europa. Although a few lineae were spotted on Mercury prior to this study, not enough were documented for scientists to identify the process behind them.
That’s why this research team, led by Valentin Bickel of the University of Bern, set out to perform the first comprehensive survey of lineae on our solar system’s innermost world. Bickel explained:
Until now, lineae on Mercury had not been systematically mapped and studied; only a small handful of streaks were known. With the image analysis, we were able to create the first census, i.e., a systematic inventory, of slope streaks on Mercury.
The team used machine learning to analyze some 100,000 images captured by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft. Their study revealed around 400 of these strange streaks on Mercury. After mapping their distribution across the planet, researchers noticed an intriguing trend.
Solar-powered activity
On Mercury, the streaks are mostly found on the sun-facing slopes of the youngest impact craters. This indicates two processes.
When space rocks impact Mercury, it appears they create routes into the bedrock through which volatiles – materials that easily vaporize and escape into space – flow out. This spewing out of gaseous material is known as outgassing. Bickel explained:
Volatile material could reach the surface from deeper layers through networks of cracks in the rock caused by the preceding impact.
Most of the streaks appear to originate from bright depressions, so-called hollows. These hollows are probably also formed by the outgassing of volatile material and are usually located in the shallow interior or along the edges of large impact craters.
So the crater-forming impacts provide a route for these materials – mostly sulfur and other light elements – to escape. But the fact that the streaks are found in the exposed, sun-catching parts of these craters offers another clue. It appears that radiation from the sun helps agitate these chemicals and draws them out of Mercury’s interior.
Combined, these 2 processes result in continual geological change on a planet that had seemed dormant. Bickel summarized:
Our findings paint a completely different, dynamic picture of the supposedly dead, dry and boring planet Mercury.
Another view of lineae on the slope of one of Mercury’s craters. MESSENGER captured this image on October 19, 2013. Image via NASA/ JHUAPL/ Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Deepening our understanding of Mercury
The lineae could also reveal how the geological activity is affecting Mercury. Bickel explained:
As the streaks on Mercury are presumably caused by the outgassing of volatile material, they could be a promising indicator of Mercury’s ‘volatile budget,’ i.e., how much volatile material the planet is continuously losing.
It’s a great time to investigate this geological change on Mercury, as the European-Japanese BepiColombo mission is on its way to study Mercury up close. Launched in 2018, BepiColombo has already performed six flybys of Mercury, but its real science mission will begin shortly after it enters orbit around the planet in late 2026.
BepiColombo will study Mercury’s composition, atmosphere and magnetic field in unprecedented detail. Plus, it will create a new map of the planet’s surface. Bickel and his team can then compare the new map to the MESSENGER images, revealing any new streaks that have emerged in the past decade. By comparing MESSENGER and BepiColombo data, researchers will know if this once-presumed-dead planet is active and alive.
Bottom line: New analysis of bright streaks on the surface of Mercury suggests that this world, long thought dead, is geologically active.
Mercury, as seen by NASA’s MESSENGER orbiter. Through a new analysis of MESSENGER’s images, researchers have found surprising geological activity on our solar system’s innermost planet. Image via NASA.
Strange streaks on Mercury hint at an active world
A new study suggests the reports of Mercury’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
Until now, Mercury’s barren and unchanging surface has long led scientists to believe that it’s a dead, geologically inactive world. But recently, researchers found evidence that geological processes continue to shape the surface of our sun’s innermost planet.
By analyzing images captured by the Mercury-orbiting MESSENGER spacecraft between 2011 and 2015, scientists uncovered and mapped some 400 lineae – strange, bright streaks – scattered across Mercury.
The researchers believe volatile material spewing from beneath the planet’s surface created these streaks. And this geological activity, they said, is likely continuing today.
The research team, from the University of Bern and the Astronomical Observatory of Padua (INAF), published its findings on January 27, 2026, in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment.
According to a new study, these bright streaks on Mercury – long considered a dead world – point to unexpected recent geological activity on the planet’s surface. The MESSENGER spacecraft took this image on April 10, 2014. Image via NASA/ JHUAPL/ Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Strange bright streaks on Mercury
This exciting discovery comes from the first ever mapping of lineae on Mercury. Lineae is a catch-all term referring to any long markings on a world’s surface. These features have been observed throughout the solar system, most notably on Mars and Jupiter’s moon Europa. Although a few lineae were spotted on Mercury prior to this study, not enough were documented for scientists to identify the process behind them.
That’s why this research team, led by Valentin Bickel of the University of Bern, set out to perform the first comprehensive survey of lineae on our solar system’s innermost world. Bickel explained:
Until now, lineae on Mercury had not been systematically mapped and studied; only a small handful of streaks were known. With the image analysis, we were able to create the first census, i.e., a systematic inventory, of slope streaks on Mercury.
The team used machine learning to analyze some 100,000 images captured by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft. Their study revealed around 400 of these strange streaks on Mercury. After mapping their distribution across the planet, researchers noticed an intriguing trend.
Solar-powered activity
On Mercury, the streaks are mostly found on the sun-facing slopes of the youngest impact craters. This indicates two processes.
When space rocks impact Mercury, it appears they create routes into the bedrock through which volatiles – materials that easily vaporize and escape into space – flow out. This spewing out of gaseous material is known as outgassing. Bickel explained:
Volatile material could reach the surface from deeper layers through networks of cracks in the rock caused by the preceding impact.
Most of the streaks appear to originate from bright depressions, so-called hollows. These hollows are probably also formed by the outgassing of volatile material and are usually located in the shallow interior or along the edges of large impact craters.
So the crater-forming impacts provide a route for these materials – mostly sulfur and other light elements – to escape. But the fact that the streaks are found in the exposed, sun-catching parts of these craters offers another clue. It appears that radiation from the sun helps agitate these chemicals and draws them out of Mercury’s interior.
Combined, these 2 processes result in continual geological change on a planet that had seemed dormant. Bickel summarized:
Our findings paint a completely different, dynamic picture of the supposedly dead, dry and boring planet Mercury.
Another view of lineae on the slope of one of Mercury’s craters. MESSENGER captured this image on October 19, 2013. Image via NASA/ JHUAPL/ Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Deepening our understanding of Mercury
The lineae could also reveal how the geological activity is affecting Mercury. Bickel explained:
As the streaks on Mercury are presumably caused by the outgassing of volatile material, they could be a promising indicator of Mercury’s ‘volatile budget,’ i.e., how much volatile material the planet is continuously losing.
It’s a great time to investigate this geological change on Mercury, as the European-Japanese BepiColombo mission is on its way to study Mercury up close. Launched in 2018, BepiColombo has already performed six flybys of Mercury, but its real science mission will begin shortly after it enters orbit around the planet in late 2026.
BepiColombo will study Mercury’s composition, atmosphere and magnetic field in unprecedented detail. Plus, it will create a new map of the planet’s surface. Bickel and his team can then compare the new map to the MESSENGER images, revealing any new streaks that have emerged in the past decade. By comparing MESSENGER and BepiColombo data, researchers will know if this once-presumed-dead planet is active and alive.
Bottom line: New analysis of bright streaks on the surface of Mercury suggests that this world, long thought dead, is geologically active.
The EarthSky community has many talented astrophotographers who capture stunning images of the deep sky. We gathered some of our favorite deep-sky photos we received in January 2026 for you to enjoy. Do you have some of your own images to share? You can submit them to us here. We would love to see them!
The Orion Nebula
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mario Rana in Hampton, Virginia, captured this image of the Orion Nebula on January 12, 2026. Thank you, Mario!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez, Egypt, captured the Orion Nebula on January 7, 2026. Mohammed wrote: “I saw Orion back in 2014 with a telescope for the first time in my life. And since then, it’s been something to look up to. This is my first shot of 2026. Orion remains the most beautiful – yet the easiest – nebula to shoot in the winter sky.” Thank you, Mohammed!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | EarthSky’s own Marcy Curran in Cheyenne, Wyoming, captured the Orion Nebula on January 20, 2026. Marcy wrote: “Messier 42 (M42) and Messier 43 (M43) are parts of the magnificent Great Orion Nebula. It’s a massive stellar nursery in the Orion constellation. M42 is the main, brightest nebula, while M43 is a smaller, teardrop-shaped section right by it. They are both emission nebulae glowing from intense radiation from young stars.” Thank you, Marcy!
The Rosette Nebula
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez, Egypt, captured the Rosette Nebula on January 30, 2026. It’s in the constellation Monoceros. Mohammed wrote: “I processed this data in SHO color palette. This data is from 2025 but the editing is completely new showing the contrast between blue and gold.” Thank you, Mohammed!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Anthony Faulkner in Tucson, Arizona, captured the Rosette Nebula on January 30, 2026. Thank you, Anthony!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Smithfield, Virginia, captured the Rosette Nebula on January 20, 2026. Steven wrote: “The Rosette Nebula is a large spherical HII region located in a giant molecular cloud. It’s in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The open cluster NGC 2244 is closely associated with the nebulosity. The cluster and nebula are 5,000 light-years from Earth. They measure roughly 130 light years in diameter. The radiation from the young stars excites the atoms in the nebula, causing them to emit radiation themselves producing the emission nebula we see. The mass of the nebula is estimated to be around 10,000 solar masses.” Thank you, Steven!
More diffuse nebulae
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Helio de Carvalho Vital in Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, captured the Tarantula Nebula on January 12, 2026. Helio wrote: “The Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) is an HII region located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. It’s approximately 160 thousand light-years away. It’s the most active star-forming complex in the Local Group and its luminosity is driven by the central star cluster, which contains some of the most massive stars known. It irradiates the nebula, ionizing its hydrogen clouds and creating its characteristic glow. The nebula’s structure is shaped by intense stellar winds and supernova shocks that compress the interstellar gas.” Thank you, Helio!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Kris Hazelbaker in Grangeville, Idaho, captured NGC2359, Thor’s Helmet in the constellation Canis Major, on January 14, 2026. Kris wrote: “I love this little nebula — it’s got a great mix of colors and an interesting structure. It’s low in the sky for me, so I can only shoot for a couple of hours at a time — well worth the effort!” Thank you, Kris!
Deep-sky photos of star clusters
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | David Hoskin in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, captured the open cluster Messier 48 on January 20, 2026. David wrote: “Messier 48 is an open star cluster in the constellation Hydra. This intermediate-aged cluster is about 2,500 light years from Earth.” Thank you, David!
Deep-sky photos of distant galaxies
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Shaurya Salunkhe in Velhe, Maharashtra, India, used a telephoto lens to capture this view of Messier 31, the Andromeda Galaxy, on January 11, 2026. Shaurya wrote: “I captured the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way’s closest neighbor and the largest galaxy of the Local Group. This is the farthest object that is visible to the unaided eye. It’s 3 times larger than the Milky Way and is approximately 2.5 million light-years away. It’s a fascinating target with stunning colors not to mention the bonus little galaxies (M32 and M110) near it.” Thank you, Shaurya!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, sent us this montage of 7 northern winter galaxies on January 1, 2026. Andy wrote: “This montage was built in August of 2025. All the photos themselves were completed from January to March of 2025 and were developed from January through August of 2025. If you look carefully at the photo you will see the Big Dipper. It is upside down and the dipper wraps around the pic of the surfboard galaxy. Whether you use a telescope or binoculars for viewing or photography, this is the time of year to see/photograph the winter galaxies.” Thank you, Andy!
Bottom line: Without a doubt, you’ll enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos for January 2026 from our EarthSky community. Plus, if you have a great photo to share, send it in, too. Naturally, we love to see them!
The EarthSky community has many talented astrophotographers who capture stunning images of the deep sky. We gathered some of our favorite deep-sky photos we received in January 2026 for you to enjoy. Do you have some of your own images to share? You can submit them to us here. We would love to see them!
The Orion Nebula
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mario Rana in Hampton, Virginia, captured this image of the Orion Nebula on January 12, 2026. Thank you, Mario!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez, Egypt, captured the Orion Nebula on January 7, 2026. Mohammed wrote: “I saw Orion back in 2014 with a telescope for the first time in my life. And since then, it’s been something to look up to. This is my first shot of 2026. Orion remains the most beautiful – yet the easiest – nebula to shoot in the winter sky.” Thank you, Mohammed!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | EarthSky’s own Marcy Curran in Cheyenne, Wyoming, captured the Orion Nebula on January 20, 2026. Marcy wrote: “Messier 42 (M42) and Messier 43 (M43) are parts of the magnificent Great Orion Nebula. It’s a massive stellar nursery in the Orion constellation. M42 is the main, brightest nebula, while M43 is a smaller, teardrop-shaped section right by it. They are both emission nebulae glowing from intense radiation from young stars.” Thank you, Marcy!
The Rosette Nebula
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Mohammed Abdallah in Suez, Egypt, captured the Rosette Nebula on January 30, 2026. It’s in the constellation Monoceros. Mohammed wrote: “I processed this data in SHO color palette. This data is from 2025 but the editing is completely new showing the contrast between blue and gold.” Thank you, Mohammed!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Anthony Faulkner in Tucson, Arizona, captured the Rosette Nebula on January 30, 2026. Thank you, Anthony!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Smithfield, Virginia, captured the Rosette Nebula on January 20, 2026. Steven wrote: “The Rosette Nebula is a large spherical HII region located in a giant molecular cloud. It’s in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy. The open cluster NGC 2244 is closely associated with the nebulosity. The cluster and nebula are 5,000 light-years from Earth. They measure roughly 130 light years in diameter. The radiation from the young stars excites the atoms in the nebula, causing them to emit radiation themselves producing the emission nebula we see. The mass of the nebula is estimated to be around 10,000 solar masses.” Thank you, Steven!
More diffuse nebulae
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Helio de Carvalho Vital in Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, captured the Tarantula Nebula on January 12, 2026. Helio wrote: “The Tarantula Nebula (NGC 2070) is an HII region located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. It’s approximately 160 thousand light-years away. It’s the most active star-forming complex in the Local Group and its luminosity is driven by the central star cluster, which contains some of the most massive stars known. It irradiates the nebula, ionizing its hydrogen clouds and creating its characteristic glow. The nebula’s structure is shaped by intense stellar winds and supernova shocks that compress the interstellar gas.” Thank you, Helio!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Kris Hazelbaker in Grangeville, Idaho, captured NGC2359, Thor’s Helmet in the constellation Canis Major, on January 14, 2026. Kris wrote: “I love this little nebula — it’s got a great mix of colors and an interesting structure. It’s low in the sky for me, so I can only shoot for a couple of hours at a time — well worth the effort!” Thank you, Kris!
Deep-sky photos of star clusters
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | David Hoskin in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, captured the open cluster Messier 48 on January 20, 2026. David wrote: “Messier 48 is an open star cluster in the constellation Hydra. This intermediate-aged cluster is about 2,500 light years from Earth.” Thank you, David!
Deep-sky photos of distant galaxies
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Shaurya Salunkhe in Velhe, Maharashtra, India, used a telephoto lens to capture this view of Messier 31, the Andromeda Galaxy, on January 11, 2026. Shaurya wrote: “I captured the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way’s closest neighbor and the largest galaxy of the Local Group. This is the farthest object that is visible to the unaided eye. It’s 3 times larger than the Milky Way and is approximately 2.5 million light-years away. It’s a fascinating target with stunning colors not to mention the bonus little galaxies (M32 and M110) near it.” Thank you, Shaurya!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, sent us this montage of 7 northern winter galaxies on January 1, 2026. Andy wrote: “This montage was built in August of 2025. All the photos themselves were completed from January to March of 2025 and were developed from January through August of 2025. If you look carefully at the photo you will see the Big Dipper. It is upside down and the dipper wraps around the pic of the surfboard galaxy. Whether you use a telescope or binoculars for viewing or photography, this is the time of year to see/photograph the winter galaxies.” Thank you, Andy!
Bottom line: Without a doubt, you’ll enjoy this gallery of deep-sky photos for January 2026 from our EarthSky community. Plus, if you have a great photo to share, send it in, too. Naturally, we love to see them!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | We received many photos of the beautiful full Snow Moon – and the moon just before and after full – over the past 2 days. Our friend Greg Redfern in Virginia caught this one last night – the night of February 2, 2026 – with an iPhone! Thank you, Greg. See more stunning images below!
The Snow Moon in 2026 was the full moon that lit up the night sky on February 1, 2026, reaching its peak illumination around 5:09 p.m. EST (around 22:09 UTC) that evening. Because the moon appears full for a couple of nights around that moment, it was visible as a bright, full lunar disk on the nights of February 1 and 2. It’s traditionally called the “Snow Moon” because February is usually one of the snowiest months in the Northern Hemisphere. Here are some gorgeous images from our talented community of photographers. Enjoy them!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Don Lynch in Garrett County, Maryland, took this wintery photo of the Snow Moon on February 1, 2026, and wrote: “Drove out on a country road looking for a hill at the right azmuth.” Thank you, Don!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Samit Saha in Doda, India, captured this stunning view on February 2, 2026, and wrote: “This image shows the full Snow Moon rising beside a snow-covered mountain ridge near Payrote village in Doda, India. Captured shortly before sunrise, the moon’s reflected light softly illuminates the winter landscape following unusually heavy snowfall at elevations around 3,000 feet (915 m). The calm atmosphere and clear sky allowed the moon to appear luminous yet gentle against the Himalayan foothills, with quiet human settlements resting below.” Thank you, Samit!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Paul C. Peh from Hawaii took this photo of the moon before full, on January 31, 2026. Thank you, Paul!
Full Snow Moon images
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eric Jensen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, captured this photo on February 1, 2026, and wrote: “I was not expecting to see the full Snow Moon last night, but luckily the clouds did not fill in until later, so I was able to get this one. The clouds and branches really helped to outline/ frame the image.” Yay! Thank you, Eric!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Sweet shared this wonderful photo from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on February 1, 2026. Thank you, Steven!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ken Chan shared this stunning image of the moon rising behind Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. He captured it on February 1, 2026. Thank you, Ken!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Yasir Malik took this photo of the full Snow Moon from Pakistan. Thank you, Yasir!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Sweet from Ontario, Canada, shared this composite image of the full moon on February 1, 2026, and wrote: “Captured using the camera’s multiple exposure feature. White balance was changed for each shot, manually captured as the moon set.” Thank you, Steven!
Bottom line: The full Snow moon flooded February skies with winter glow. See breathtaking images captured by our incredible photographers around the world.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | We received many photos of the beautiful full Snow Moon – and the moon just before and after full – over the past 2 days. Our friend Greg Redfern in Virginia caught this one last night – the night of February 2, 2026 – with an iPhone! Thank you, Greg. See more stunning images below!
The Snow Moon in 2026 was the full moon that lit up the night sky on February 1, 2026, reaching its peak illumination around 5:09 p.m. EST (around 22:09 UTC) that evening. Because the moon appears full for a couple of nights around that moment, it was visible as a bright, full lunar disk on the nights of February 1 and 2. It’s traditionally called the “Snow Moon” because February is usually one of the snowiest months in the Northern Hemisphere. Here are some gorgeous images from our talented community of photographers. Enjoy them!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Don Lynch in Garrett County, Maryland, took this wintery photo of the Snow Moon on February 1, 2026, and wrote: “Drove out on a country road looking for a hill at the right azmuth.” Thank you, Don!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Samit Saha in Doda, India, captured this stunning view on February 2, 2026, and wrote: “This image shows the full Snow Moon rising beside a snow-covered mountain ridge near Payrote village in Doda, India. Captured shortly before sunrise, the moon’s reflected light softly illuminates the winter landscape following unusually heavy snowfall at elevations around 3,000 feet (915 m). The calm atmosphere and clear sky allowed the moon to appear luminous yet gentle against the Himalayan foothills, with quiet human settlements resting below.” Thank you, Samit!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Paul C. Peh from Hawaii took this photo of the moon before full, on January 31, 2026. Thank you, Paul!
Full Snow Moon images
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eric Jensen in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, captured this photo on February 1, 2026, and wrote: “I was not expecting to see the full Snow Moon last night, but luckily the clouds did not fill in until later, so I was able to get this one. The clouds and branches really helped to outline/ frame the image.” Yay! Thank you, Eric!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Sweet shared this wonderful photo from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on February 1, 2026. Thank you, Steven!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ken Chan shared this stunning image of the moon rising behind Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. He captured it on February 1, 2026. Thank you, Ken!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Yasir Malik took this photo of the full Snow Moon from Pakistan. Thank you, Yasir!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Sweet from Ontario, Canada, shared this composite image of the full moon on February 1, 2026, and wrote: “Captured using the camera’s multiple exposure feature. White balance was changed for each shot, manually captured as the moon set.” Thank you, Steven!
Bottom line: The full Snow moon flooded February skies with winter glow. See breathtaking images captured by our incredible photographers around the world.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Michael Flynn captured this image on February 19, 2023, near Pine Mountain Club, California. He wrote: “The zodiacal light over the Pacific … at the top of the image is the Pleiades star cluster. At the bottom of the image are the planets Jupiter and Venus setting into the light pollution and marine layer.” Thank you, Michael!
Zodiacal light around March equinox
The moon has waned now and left the evening sky dark for seeing the zodiacal light! This eerie cone of light can be found in the west, just as evening twilight draws to a close. Or, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, look for it in the east, before twilight begins at dawn. We on the northern half of the globe have our best chance to see it in a moon-free sky starting now. The light is easiest to see (for all of Earth) around the March equinox. So watch for it now through May whenever you’ve got a moon-free sky.
The zodiacal light looks like a hazy pyramid of light, extending up from your horizon.
We in the north call it the false dusk. In the Southern Hemisphere now, it goes by the name false dawn.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jose Palma captured this image in Portugal on February 1, 2024, and wrote: “It’s zodiacal light time … and the ISS trail is crossing above Jupiter and the zodiacal light.” Thank you, Jose!
Once you spot it, you’ll know what it is
You might have seen the zodiacal light in the sky and not realized it. Maybe you glimpsed it while driving on a highway or country road at this time of year. Suppose you’re driving toward the west in springtime around 90 minutes after sunset. You notice what you think is the lingering evening twilight, or the light of a nearby town, over the horizon. Instead, you might be seeing the zodiacal light.
Note for Southern Hemisphere: Around February through March, and into early May – for you – the zodiacal light looks like a hazy pyramid of light. It extends up from your eastern horizon before morning twilight begins.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Christoph Stopka in Westcliffe, Colorado, took this gorgeous image of the zodiacal light on March 1, 2022, over the high peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, part of the Colorado Rockies. It looks like a pyramid of light on the horizon, and appears when all traces of twilight have left the evening sky. Thank you, Cristoph! Read more about this photo.
What is this eerie light?
People used to think zodiacal light originated somehow from phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere. But today we understand it as sunlight reflecting off dust grains that circle the sun in the inner solar system. These grains were once thought to be left over from the process that created our Earth and the other planets of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. In recent years, though, there’s been discussion about their possible origin in dust storms on the planet Mars. Read more: Do Mars dust storms cause the zodiacal light?
Whatever their origin, these dust grains in space spread out from the sun in the same flat disk of space inhabited by Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. This flat space around the sun – the plane of our solar system – translates on our sky to a narrow pathway called the ecliptic. This is the same pathway traveled by the sun and moon as they journey across our sky.
Ancient civilizations called the pathway of the sun and moon the zodiac or pathway of animals. They did this in honor of the constellations seen beyond it. Hence the name zodiacal light.
The grains of dust are thought to range from about millimeter-sized to micron-sized. They are densest around the immediate vicinity of the sun and extending outward beyond the orbit of Mars. Sunlight shines on these dust grains to create the light we see.
Springtime? Autumn? What’s best?
The answer to that varies. For both hemispheres, springtime is the best time to see the zodiacal light in the evening. Autumn is the best time to see it before dawn. Look for the zodiacal light in the east around the time of the autumn equinox. Look for it in the west after sunset around the time of the spring equinox.
But, of course, spring and autumn fall in different months for Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres. So if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere look for the zodiacal light before dawn from about late August through early November. In those same months, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, look for the light in the evening.
Likewise, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, look for the evening zodiacal light from late February through early May. During those months, from the Southern Hemisphere, look for the light in the morning.
How to see the light
The zodiacal light can be extremely bright and easy to see from latitudes like those in the southern U.S.
Meanwhile, skywatchers in the northern U.S. or Canada sometimes say, wistfully, that they’ve never seen it.
You’ll need a dark sky location to see the zodiacal light, someplace where city lights aren’t obscuring the natural lights in the sky. The zodiacal light is even milkier in appearance than the summer Milky Way. It’s most visible after dusk in spring because, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, the ecliptic – or path of the sun and moon – stands nearly straight up in spring with respect to the western horizon after dusk. Likewise, the zodiacal light is easiest to see before dawn in autumn, because then the ecliptic is most perpendicular to the eastern horizon in the morning.
In spring, the zodiacal light can be seen for up to an hour after dusk ends. Or, in autumn, it can be seen for up to an hour before dawn. Unlike true dusk, though, there’s no rosy color to the zodiacal light. The reddish skies at dawn and dusk are caused by Earth’s atmosphere, while the zodiacal light originates far outside our atmosphere.
The best time to look
The darker your sky, the better your chances of seeing it. Your best bet is to pick a night when the moon is out of the sky, although it’s definitely possible, and very lovely, to see a slim crescent moon in the midst of this strange milky pyramid of light. In the springtime, the best time to look for the zodiacal light – and avoid moonlight – is a few days after the full moon through a few days after a new moon.
Bottom line: If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you can see the zodiacal light from February to May as a hazy pyramid of light extending up from the western horizon, beginning about an hour after sunset. Southern Hemisphere? Look east before dawn.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Michael Flynn captured this image on February 19, 2023, near Pine Mountain Club, California. He wrote: “The zodiacal light over the Pacific … at the top of the image is the Pleiades star cluster. At the bottom of the image are the planets Jupiter and Venus setting into the light pollution and marine layer.” Thank you, Michael!
Zodiacal light around March equinox
The moon has waned now and left the evening sky dark for seeing the zodiacal light! This eerie cone of light can be found in the west, just as evening twilight draws to a close. Or, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, look for it in the east, before twilight begins at dawn. We on the northern half of the globe have our best chance to see it in a moon-free sky starting now. The light is easiest to see (for all of Earth) around the March equinox. So watch for it now through May whenever you’ve got a moon-free sky.
The zodiacal light looks like a hazy pyramid of light, extending up from your horizon.
We in the north call it the false dusk. In the Southern Hemisphere now, it goes by the name false dawn.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jose Palma captured this image in Portugal on February 1, 2024, and wrote: “It’s zodiacal light time … and the ISS trail is crossing above Jupiter and the zodiacal light.” Thank you, Jose!
Once you spot it, you’ll know what it is
You might have seen the zodiacal light in the sky and not realized it. Maybe you glimpsed it while driving on a highway or country road at this time of year. Suppose you’re driving toward the west in springtime around 90 minutes after sunset. You notice what you think is the lingering evening twilight, or the light of a nearby town, over the horizon. Instead, you might be seeing the zodiacal light.
Note for Southern Hemisphere: Around February through March, and into early May – for you – the zodiacal light looks like a hazy pyramid of light. It extends up from your eastern horizon before morning twilight begins.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Christoph Stopka in Westcliffe, Colorado, took this gorgeous image of the zodiacal light on March 1, 2022, over the high peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, part of the Colorado Rockies. It looks like a pyramid of light on the horizon, and appears when all traces of twilight have left the evening sky. Thank you, Cristoph! Read more about this photo.
What is this eerie light?
People used to think zodiacal light originated somehow from phenomena in Earth’s upper atmosphere. But today we understand it as sunlight reflecting off dust grains that circle the sun in the inner solar system. These grains were once thought to be left over from the process that created our Earth and the other planets of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. In recent years, though, there’s been discussion about their possible origin in dust storms on the planet Mars. Read more: Do Mars dust storms cause the zodiacal light?
Whatever their origin, these dust grains in space spread out from the sun in the same flat disk of space inhabited by Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. This flat space around the sun – the plane of our solar system – translates on our sky to a narrow pathway called the ecliptic. This is the same pathway traveled by the sun and moon as they journey across our sky.
Ancient civilizations called the pathway of the sun and moon the zodiac or pathway of animals. They did this in honor of the constellations seen beyond it. Hence the name zodiacal light.
The grains of dust are thought to range from about millimeter-sized to micron-sized. They are densest around the immediate vicinity of the sun and extending outward beyond the orbit of Mars. Sunlight shines on these dust grains to create the light we see.
Springtime? Autumn? What’s best?
The answer to that varies. For both hemispheres, springtime is the best time to see the zodiacal light in the evening. Autumn is the best time to see it before dawn. Look for the zodiacal light in the east around the time of the autumn equinox. Look for it in the west after sunset around the time of the spring equinox.
But, of course, spring and autumn fall in different months for Earth’s Northern and Southern Hemispheres. So if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere look for the zodiacal light before dawn from about late August through early November. In those same months, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, look for the light in the evening.
Likewise, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, look for the evening zodiacal light from late February through early May. During those months, from the Southern Hemisphere, look for the light in the morning.
How to see the light
The zodiacal light can be extremely bright and easy to see from latitudes like those in the southern U.S.
Meanwhile, skywatchers in the northern U.S. or Canada sometimes say, wistfully, that they’ve never seen it.
You’ll need a dark sky location to see the zodiacal light, someplace where city lights aren’t obscuring the natural lights in the sky. The zodiacal light is even milkier in appearance than the summer Milky Way. It’s most visible after dusk in spring because, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, the ecliptic – or path of the sun and moon – stands nearly straight up in spring with respect to the western horizon after dusk. Likewise, the zodiacal light is easiest to see before dawn in autumn, because then the ecliptic is most perpendicular to the eastern horizon in the morning.
In spring, the zodiacal light can be seen for up to an hour after dusk ends. Or, in autumn, it can be seen for up to an hour before dawn. Unlike true dusk, though, there’s no rosy color to the zodiacal light. The reddish skies at dawn and dusk are caused by Earth’s atmosphere, while the zodiacal light originates far outside our atmosphere.
The best time to look
The darker your sky, the better your chances of seeing it. Your best bet is to pick a night when the moon is out of the sky, although it’s definitely possible, and very lovely, to see a slim crescent moon in the midst of this strange milky pyramid of light. In the springtime, the best time to look for the zodiacal light – and avoid moonlight – is a few days after the full moon through a few days after a new moon.
Bottom line: If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, you can see the zodiacal light from February to May as a hazy pyramid of light extending up from the western horizon, beginning about an hour after sunset. Southern Hemisphere? Look east before dawn.
Is this an 8-legged bird? Not quite! Find out more about the fascinating jacana bird below or watch this video. Image via JMx Images/ Shutterstock.
Meet the jacana: a bird that defies much of what you thought you knew about nature. With its precise and elegant steps, it appears to walk on water, moving across water lilies and floating leaves as if it were gliding through the air.
But the amazement doesn’t end with its physical ability. The jacana has parenting and survival behaviors that seem pulled from an upside-down world.
Jacana males are devoted dads
One of the traits that makes the jacana a biological rarity is its reproductive system. In most jacana species, the common male and female roles of the animal kingdom are reversed; females dominate the territory and mate with multiple males, while the males take on the most delicate and risky part of raising the young.
The male jacana incubates the eggs and, once the chicks hatch, protects them with extraordinary dedication. At the first sign of danger, he can hide the chicks under his wings and carry them while fleeing, leaving only tiny trembling feet visible. And that’s why the jacana sometimes appears to have many more than two legs!
If there were nobel prizes for birds, jacana males would be in the running for best dads! Image via JMx Images/ Shutterstock.
A single female can control up to three or four males, each caring for his own nest of eggs — an extreme example of sexual role reversal in birds. This system, known as polyandry, is exceptional among birds and makes the jacana a key example for studying how ecology can shape radically different behaviors from the norm.
However, not all jacanas follow this pattern exactly. The lesser jacana (Microparra capensis) is a lesser-known monogamous species, in which both males and females actively participate in raising the chicks, building the nest together, incubating the eggs and caring for the young. Its reproductive strategy breaks the group norm and reminds us that even within such a specialized family, notable exceptions exist.
Male jacanas take care of their chicks. When in danger, the males carry them under their feathers, making the dad look like it has many legs! Image via Mainakhalder_01/ Shutterstock.
The bird that walks on water
Known in many places as “the bird that walks on water,” the jacana seems to defy the laws of physics thanks to its ability to move precisely across floating vegetation. This skill is no accident. It’s the result of extreme adaptation; its long legs and disproportionately long toes act as natural platforms, distributing its weight across water lilies and other aquatic plants without sinking.
Its long toes have pads that increase friction, preventing slips even on wet or unstable leaves. The real challenge is the instability of this terrain. The jacana moves across leaves that slide with the current or wind, forcing it to adjust with every step as the “ground” beneath it shifts.
Maintaining this delicate balance, the jacana catches insects, small crustaceans and other invertebrates directly from the water in areas that other birds cannot access without slipping or sinking. Combining sharp vision with quick reflexes, it’s sometimes even able to catch small fish.
Jacana birds have incredibly long toes that allow them to walk and jump effortlessly across floating vegetation. This is a young lesser jacana. Image via Derek Keats/ Pexels.
Exploring the floating kingdom of the jacana
Currently, eight species of jacana are recognized, all belonging to the family Jacanidae. These birds are distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania, always near lakes, lagoons, swamps and wetlands rich in floating vegetation.
Jacanas are omnivorous and opportunistic. They feed mainly on insects, spiders, mollusks and small crustaceans, but can also consume seeds and plant matter. Their foraging is meticulous. They move slowly over aquatic vegetation, inspecting every leaf and edge, and take advantage of any movement on the surface.
In addition to walking, they can leap from leaf to leaf with great agility. They can also swim short distances between patches of vegetation and use floating leaves as platforms to rest or watch their surroundings. Their lives unfold on a constantly changing mosaic of living surfaces, where every foothold counts.
These birds live near lakes, lagoons, swamps and wetlands. They feed on insects, spiders, mollusks, small crustaceans, fish, seeds and plant matter. Image via David Clode/ Unsplash.
Curiosities that make the jacana bird unique
Beyond its parenting and ability to walk on water, the jacana has other surprising traits that make it truly extraordinary. It is extremely territorial. Despite its small size, it does not hesitate to confront much larger birds that threaten its space, diving from the air, displaying bright colors or chasing intruders to protect its territory. In wetlands, this aggressiveness is a direct way to secure food and space for its chicks, a remarkable example of courage and strategy in such a lightweight bird.
Its compact body, combined with relatively large wings and plumage that blends browns, blacks and whites with metallic sheens, gives it an exotic appearance, enhanced in many species by brightly colored frontal shields. It measures between 7.5 and 12 inches (19 and 30 cm) in length, with a wingspan of up to 24 inches (60 cm), and rarely exceeds 5.6 ounces (160 grams) in weight — proportions perfectly suited to life on unstable surfaces.
Some jacanas show subtle changes in their plumage and frontal shield depending on age, season or reproductive status. These variations function as visual signals indicating hierarchy, reproductive availability or aggression levels. During mating season, the metallic sheen intensifies, revealing dynamics that remain discreet the rest of the year.
They are very light, a clear advantage for a life on unstable surfaces. But they are also territorial. Despite their small body size, they can dive from the air to protect their chicks and territory. Image via Sanjeev Kumar Maurya/ Pexels.
A beauty that depends on water
Most jacana species are considered of “least concern.” However, this apparent stability is misleading. The survival of the jacana depends directly on the health of wetlands, one of the planet’s most threatened ecosystems.
Pollution, swamp drainage and agricultural and urban expansion are growing risks. Protecting the jacana means protecting the water, vegetation and ecological balance of the wetlands it relies on.
Jacanas are indicators of wetland health; their presence reflects balanced aquatic ecosystems and their absence can signal pollution or loss of floating vegetation.
By caring for these spaces, we not only save the jacana, but also preserve a world where life is sustained delicately and every water lily leaf is a stage for quiet wonders.
Jacana birds are not endangered, but their ecosystem is. Wetlands face pollution and drainage risks. Protecting these birds means protecting the delicate balance of water, vegetation and life they depend on. Image via Jyotirmoy Golder/ Shutterstock.
Bottom line: Jacana birds glide effortlessly across wetlands, defying both physics and nature’s common gender roles.
Is this an 8-legged bird? Not quite! Find out more about the fascinating jacana bird below or watch this video. Image via JMx Images/ Shutterstock.
Meet the jacana: a bird that defies much of what you thought you knew about nature. With its precise and elegant steps, it appears to walk on water, moving across water lilies and floating leaves as if it were gliding through the air.
But the amazement doesn’t end with its physical ability. The jacana has parenting and survival behaviors that seem pulled from an upside-down world.
Jacana males are devoted dads
One of the traits that makes the jacana a biological rarity is its reproductive system. In most jacana species, the common male and female roles of the animal kingdom are reversed; females dominate the territory and mate with multiple males, while the males take on the most delicate and risky part of raising the young.
The male jacana incubates the eggs and, once the chicks hatch, protects them with extraordinary dedication. At the first sign of danger, he can hide the chicks under his wings and carry them while fleeing, leaving only tiny trembling feet visible. And that’s why the jacana sometimes appears to have many more than two legs!
If there were nobel prizes for birds, jacana males would be in the running for best dads! Image via JMx Images/ Shutterstock.
A single female can control up to three or four males, each caring for his own nest of eggs — an extreme example of sexual role reversal in birds. This system, known as polyandry, is exceptional among birds and makes the jacana a key example for studying how ecology can shape radically different behaviors from the norm.
However, not all jacanas follow this pattern exactly. The lesser jacana (Microparra capensis) is a lesser-known monogamous species, in which both males and females actively participate in raising the chicks, building the nest together, incubating the eggs and caring for the young. Its reproductive strategy breaks the group norm and reminds us that even within such a specialized family, notable exceptions exist.
Male jacanas take care of their chicks. When in danger, the males carry them under their feathers, making the dad look like it has many legs! Image via Mainakhalder_01/ Shutterstock.
The bird that walks on water
Known in many places as “the bird that walks on water,” the jacana seems to defy the laws of physics thanks to its ability to move precisely across floating vegetation. This skill is no accident. It’s the result of extreme adaptation; its long legs and disproportionately long toes act as natural platforms, distributing its weight across water lilies and other aquatic plants without sinking.
Its long toes have pads that increase friction, preventing slips even on wet or unstable leaves. The real challenge is the instability of this terrain. The jacana moves across leaves that slide with the current or wind, forcing it to adjust with every step as the “ground” beneath it shifts.
Maintaining this delicate balance, the jacana catches insects, small crustaceans and other invertebrates directly from the water in areas that other birds cannot access without slipping or sinking. Combining sharp vision with quick reflexes, it’s sometimes even able to catch small fish.
Jacana birds have incredibly long toes that allow them to walk and jump effortlessly across floating vegetation. This is a young lesser jacana. Image via Derek Keats/ Pexels.
Exploring the floating kingdom of the jacana
Currently, eight species of jacana are recognized, all belonging to the family Jacanidae. These birds are distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania, always near lakes, lagoons, swamps and wetlands rich in floating vegetation.
Jacanas are omnivorous and opportunistic. They feed mainly on insects, spiders, mollusks and small crustaceans, but can also consume seeds and plant matter. Their foraging is meticulous. They move slowly over aquatic vegetation, inspecting every leaf and edge, and take advantage of any movement on the surface.
In addition to walking, they can leap from leaf to leaf with great agility. They can also swim short distances between patches of vegetation and use floating leaves as platforms to rest or watch their surroundings. Their lives unfold on a constantly changing mosaic of living surfaces, where every foothold counts.
These birds live near lakes, lagoons, swamps and wetlands. They feed on insects, spiders, mollusks, small crustaceans, fish, seeds and plant matter. Image via David Clode/ Unsplash.
Curiosities that make the jacana bird unique
Beyond its parenting and ability to walk on water, the jacana has other surprising traits that make it truly extraordinary. It is extremely territorial. Despite its small size, it does not hesitate to confront much larger birds that threaten its space, diving from the air, displaying bright colors or chasing intruders to protect its territory. In wetlands, this aggressiveness is a direct way to secure food and space for its chicks, a remarkable example of courage and strategy in such a lightweight bird.
Its compact body, combined with relatively large wings and plumage that blends browns, blacks and whites with metallic sheens, gives it an exotic appearance, enhanced in many species by brightly colored frontal shields. It measures between 7.5 and 12 inches (19 and 30 cm) in length, with a wingspan of up to 24 inches (60 cm), and rarely exceeds 5.6 ounces (160 grams) in weight — proportions perfectly suited to life on unstable surfaces.
Some jacanas show subtle changes in their plumage and frontal shield depending on age, season or reproductive status. These variations function as visual signals indicating hierarchy, reproductive availability or aggression levels. During mating season, the metallic sheen intensifies, revealing dynamics that remain discreet the rest of the year.
They are very light, a clear advantage for a life on unstable surfaces. But they are also territorial. Despite their small body size, they can dive from the air to protect their chicks and territory. Image via Sanjeev Kumar Maurya/ Pexels.
A beauty that depends on water
Most jacana species are considered of “least concern.” However, this apparent stability is misleading. The survival of the jacana depends directly on the health of wetlands, one of the planet’s most threatened ecosystems.
Pollution, swamp drainage and agricultural and urban expansion are growing risks. Protecting the jacana means protecting the water, vegetation and ecological balance of the wetlands it relies on.
Jacanas are indicators of wetland health; their presence reflects balanced aquatic ecosystems and their absence can signal pollution or loss of floating vegetation.
By caring for these spaces, we not only save the jacana, but also preserve a world where life is sustained delicately and every water lily leaf is a stage for quiet wonders.
Jacana birds are not endangered, but their ecosystem is. Wetlands face pollution and drainage risks. Protecting these birds means protecting the delicate balance of water, vegetation and life they depend on. Image via Jyotirmoy Golder/ Shutterstock.
Bottom line: Jacana birds glide effortlessly across wetlands, defying both physics and nature’s common gender roles.
Artist’s concept of a paleolithic woman producing a digging stick from a small alder tree trunk, the kind of wood used for the Marathousa digging stick. Early humans shaped the wood with a small stone tool. Use-wear analysis of such stone tools at Marathousa 1 show evidence of woodworking. Image via University of Reading/ G. Prieto/ K. Harvati.
A pair of artifacts dug out of an ancient lakebed in southern Greece might be the oldest wooden tools ever discovered. The two objects bear signs of shaping and use by early humans some 430,000 years ago. Crafted from alder and either willow or poplar branches, the human-made objects suggest our species used wooden tools at least 40,000 years earlier than previously demonstrated.
The site where the tools were discovered – an open-air butchering area in an ancient wetland – was first identified in 2013.
The international team that made the discovery published a report in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on January 26, 2026.
Specimen Marathousa ID 13 is a new wooden tool type used by early humans during the Middle Pleistocene documented here for the first time. Currently, its function is not known. Image via University of Reading/ N. Thompson/ K. Harvati.
Oldest wooden tools found in an ice age refuge
One of the objects is shaped from an alder wood trunk, and the researchers think it was used for digging or similar tasks. The other is a smaller piece of either willow or poplar wood prepared for an unknown task, possibly to aid the making of stone tools or other fine work. It is the first example of its type described.
The tools date to 430,000 years before present during the Middle Pleistocene. This geological age lasted from 774,000 to 129,000 years ago, and was marked by long periods of glaciation. Paleoanthropologist Katerina Harvati, an expert in human evolution who co-authored the report, described why this period was critical for our species:
The Middle Pleistocene was a critical phase in human evolution, during which more complex behaviors developed. The earliest reliable evidence of the targeted technological use of plants also dates from this period.
Microscopic markings reveal ancient human handiwork
To expert eyes, these items bore marks indicating that they were crafted carefully for use as tools. Annemieke Milks, an expert on early wooden tools and co-author of the report, said:
We examined all the wooden remains closely, looking at their surfaces under microscopes. We found marks from chopping and carving on two objects – clear signs that early humans had shaped them.
A 3rd wooden object found with the oldest wooden tools – a piece of alderwood marked with grooves – had been clawed by an animal, perhaps a bear. This too is a significant finding, Havarti said:
The fact that large carnivores left their mark near the butchered elephant alongside human activity indicates fierce competition between the two.
Specimen Marathousa ID 39, the digging or multifunctional stick, is one of the world’s oldest wooden tools. It was unearthed at an ancient human habitation in southern Greece. Image via University of Reading/ D. Michailidis/ K. Harvati.
Life survived the ice age in secluded havens
The site where the oldest wooden tools were unearthed was ice-free during the advance of glaciers into Europe during the Middle Pleistocene. It was from this and other glacial refugia – geographically isolated regions where life could survive during the harsh ice-age conditions – that life would re-emerge when the glaciers retreated.
The tools were found at Marathousa 1, an ancient site where a river once fed wetlands. It is located on what is now the Peloponnese, a large peninsula in the south of modern Greece. Fine-grained soil in the area provides excellent conditions for preserving wood.
Other evidence of human activity was discovered alongside the tools in the same isolated pocket of land where plant and animal life persisted among the glaciers. Early humans used the site to butcher an elephant and other animals. Chips of rock, finished stone tools and worked bone fragments were also unearthed. These finds expand the known regions where early humans rode out glacial periods, as well as moving back the date for wooden tool use.
We have discovered the oldest wooden tools known to date, as well as the first evidence of this kind from southeastern Europe. This shows once again how exceptionally good the conditions at the Marathousa 1 site are for preservation.
The newly discovered artifacts also demonstrate the wide range of size in tools used during the period, as well as expanding the known uses for them.
Bottom line: The earliest known wooden tools used by early humans have been uncovered in an ancient lakebed in Greece. The hand tools date to 430,000 years ago.
Artist’s concept of a paleolithic woman producing a digging stick from a small alder tree trunk, the kind of wood used for the Marathousa digging stick. Early humans shaped the wood with a small stone tool. Use-wear analysis of such stone tools at Marathousa 1 show evidence of woodworking. Image via University of Reading/ G. Prieto/ K. Harvati.
A pair of artifacts dug out of an ancient lakebed in southern Greece might be the oldest wooden tools ever discovered. The two objects bear signs of shaping and use by early humans some 430,000 years ago. Crafted from alder and either willow or poplar branches, the human-made objects suggest our species used wooden tools at least 40,000 years earlier than previously demonstrated.
The site where the tools were discovered – an open-air butchering area in an ancient wetland – was first identified in 2013.
The international team that made the discovery published a report in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on January 26, 2026.
Specimen Marathousa ID 13 is a new wooden tool type used by early humans during the Middle Pleistocene documented here for the first time. Currently, its function is not known. Image via University of Reading/ N. Thompson/ K. Harvati.
Oldest wooden tools found in an ice age refuge
One of the objects is shaped from an alder wood trunk, and the researchers think it was used for digging or similar tasks. The other is a smaller piece of either willow or poplar wood prepared for an unknown task, possibly to aid the making of stone tools or other fine work. It is the first example of its type described.
The tools date to 430,000 years before present during the Middle Pleistocene. This geological age lasted from 774,000 to 129,000 years ago, and was marked by long periods of glaciation. Paleoanthropologist Katerina Harvati, an expert in human evolution who co-authored the report, described why this period was critical for our species:
The Middle Pleistocene was a critical phase in human evolution, during which more complex behaviors developed. The earliest reliable evidence of the targeted technological use of plants also dates from this period.
Microscopic markings reveal ancient human handiwork
To expert eyes, these items bore marks indicating that they were crafted carefully for use as tools. Annemieke Milks, an expert on early wooden tools and co-author of the report, said:
We examined all the wooden remains closely, looking at their surfaces under microscopes. We found marks from chopping and carving on two objects – clear signs that early humans had shaped them.
A 3rd wooden object found with the oldest wooden tools – a piece of alderwood marked with grooves – had been clawed by an animal, perhaps a bear. This too is a significant finding, Havarti said:
The fact that large carnivores left their mark near the butchered elephant alongside human activity indicates fierce competition between the two.
Specimen Marathousa ID 39, the digging or multifunctional stick, is one of the world’s oldest wooden tools. It was unearthed at an ancient human habitation in southern Greece. Image via University of Reading/ D. Michailidis/ K. Harvati.
Life survived the ice age in secluded havens
The site where the oldest wooden tools were unearthed was ice-free during the advance of glaciers into Europe during the Middle Pleistocene. It was from this and other glacial refugia – geographically isolated regions where life could survive during the harsh ice-age conditions – that life would re-emerge when the glaciers retreated.
The tools were found at Marathousa 1, an ancient site where a river once fed wetlands. It is located on what is now the Peloponnese, a large peninsula in the south of modern Greece. Fine-grained soil in the area provides excellent conditions for preserving wood.
Other evidence of human activity was discovered alongside the tools in the same isolated pocket of land where plant and animal life persisted among the glaciers. Early humans used the site to butcher an elephant and other animals. Chips of rock, finished stone tools and worked bone fragments were also unearthed. These finds expand the known regions where early humans rode out glacial periods, as well as moving back the date for wooden tool use.
We have discovered the oldest wooden tools known to date, as well as the first evidence of this kind from southeastern Europe. This shows once again how exceptionally good the conditions at the Marathousa 1 site are for preservation.
The newly discovered artifacts also demonstrate the wide range of size in tools used during the period, as well as expanding the known uses for them.
Bottom line: The earliest known wooden tools used by early humans have been uncovered in an ancient lakebed in Greece. The hand tools date to 430,000 years ago.
