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.
February babies have amethyst – a lovely purple gemstone – as their birthstone. Amethysts contain the second most abundant mineral found in Earth’s crust: quartz. And quartz often forms the lining inside geodes, which form near sites of volcanic activity. So it’s no wonder that geodes sometimes contain amethysts, and some amethyst geodes are amazingly large.
Like quartz, amethysts are a transparent form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). An amethyst’s color can range from a faint mauve to a rich purple. But where does the color come from? Some scientists believe the purple color arises from the amethysts’ iron oxide content, while others attribute the color to manganese or hydrocarbons.
Also, amethysts are very sensitive to heat. When heated to about 750 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit (400 or 500 degrees Celsius), an amethyst’s color changes to brownish-yellow or red. Then, under some circumstances, the stones turn green when heated. In fact, heat may even transform an amethyst into a naturally rare yellow mineral called citrine. And even without heating, the violet color of amethyst may fade over time.
Commercial sources of amethyst are Brazil and Uruguay, and Arizona and North Carolina are the source of gem quality amethyst.
The amethyst has a rich history of lore and legend, traceable back 25,000 years in France, where it was a decorative stone used by prehistoric humans. In fact, it appears among the remains from the Neolithic era.
According to legend, the signet ring worn by Cleopatra was an amethyst engraved with the figure of Mithra, a Persian deity symbolizing the Divine Idea, Source of Light and Life.
Saint Valentine supposedly wore an amethyst engraved with the figure of his assistant, Cupid. Also, Saint Valentine’s Day is in February.
The early Egyptians believed that the amethyst possessed good powers and placed the stones in the tombs of pharaohs. During the Middle Ages, people believed that an amethyst amulet would dispel sleep, sharpen intellect, and protect the wearer from sorcery. And it was thought to bring victory in battle. In Arabian mythology, amethyst supposedly protected the wearer from bad dreams and gout.
Roman intaglio engraved gem of Caracalla in amethyst, once in the Treasury of Sainte-Chapelle. Image via Marie-Lan Nguyen/ Wikipedia.
Amethyst means not drunk
As a matter of fact, the word amethyst comes from the Greek word “amethystos,” meaning “not drunk,” and so myths say it prevents its wearers from becoming intoxicated. According to the following story from Greco-Roman mythology, as quoted from Birthstones by Willard Heaps:
Bacchus, the god of wine in classical mythology, was offended by Diana the Huntress. Determined on revenge, he declared that the first person he met as he went through the forest would be eaten by his tigers. As it happened, the first person to cross his path was the beautiful maiden Amethyst on her way to worship at the shrine of Diana. In terror, she called upon the goddess to save her, and before his eyes, Bacchus observed the maiden changed to a pure white, sparkling image of stone.
Realizing his guilt and repenting his cruelty, Bacchus poured grape wine over her, thus giving the stone the exquisite violet hue of the amethyst. The carryover to non-intoxication was quite logical, and in ancient Rome, amethyst cups were used for wine, so drinkers would have no fear of overindulgence.
February babies have amethyst – a lovely purple gemstone – as their birthstone. Amethysts contain the second most abundant mineral found in Earth’s crust: quartz. And quartz often forms the lining inside geodes, which form near sites of volcanic activity. So it’s no wonder that geodes sometimes contain amethysts, and some amethyst geodes are amazingly large.
Like quartz, amethysts are a transparent form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). An amethyst’s color can range from a faint mauve to a rich purple. But where does the color come from? Some scientists believe the purple color arises from the amethysts’ iron oxide content, while others attribute the color to manganese or hydrocarbons.
Also, amethysts are very sensitive to heat. When heated to about 750 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit (400 or 500 degrees Celsius), an amethyst’s color changes to brownish-yellow or red. Then, under some circumstances, the stones turn green when heated. In fact, heat may even transform an amethyst into a naturally rare yellow mineral called citrine. And even without heating, the violet color of amethyst may fade over time.
Commercial sources of amethyst are Brazil and Uruguay, and Arizona and North Carolina are the source of gem quality amethyst.
The amethyst has a rich history of lore and legend, traceable back 25,000 years in France, where it was a decorative stone used by prehistoric humans. In fact, it appears among the remains from the Neolithic era.
According to legend, the signet ring worn by Cleopatra was an amethyst engraved with the figure of Mithra, a Persian deity symbolizing the Divine Idea, Source of Light and Life.
Saint Valentine supposedly wore an amethyst engraved with the figure of his assistant, Cupid. Also, Saint Valentine’s Day is in February.
The early Egyptians believed that the amethyst possessed good powers and placed the stones in the tombs of pharaohs. During the Middle Ages, people believed that an amethyst amulet would dispel sleep, sharpen intellect, and protect the wearer from sorcery. And it was thought to bring victory in battle. In Arabian mythology, amethyst supposedly protected the wearer from bad dreams and gout.
Roman intaglio engraved gem of Caracalla in amethyst, once in the Treasury of Sainte-Chapelle. Image via Marie-Lan Nguyen/ Wikipedia.
Amethyst means not drunk
As a matter of fact, the word amethyst comes from the Greek word “amethystos,” meaning “not drunk,” and so myths say it prevents its wearers from becoming intoxicated. According to the following story from Greco-Roman mythology, as quoted from Birthstones by Willard Heaps:
Bacchus, the god of wine in classical mythology, was offended by Diana the Huntress. Determined on revenge, he declared that the first person he met as he went through the forest would be eaten by his tigers. As it happened, the first person to cross his path was the beautiful maiden Amethyst on her way to worship at the shrine of Diana. In terror, she called upon the goddess to save her, and before his eyes, Bacchus observed the maiden changed to a pure white, sparkling image of stone.
Realizing his guilt and repenting his cruelty, Bacchus poured grape wine over her, thus giving the stone the exquisite violet hue of the amethyst. The carryover to non-intoxication was quite logical, and in ancient Rome, amethyst cups were used for wine, so drinkers would have no fear of overindulgence.
View larger. | Artist’s concept of a massive exomoon orbiting a gas giant exoplanet. A team of astronomers says it might have detected a huge exomoon orbiting the gas giant exoplanet HD 206893 B, 133 light-years from Earth. Image via NASA/ ESA/ L. Hustak (STScI).
Do exoplanets have exomoons? There are a growing number of candidates, but no distant planet has yet been confirmed to have an orbiting moon.
A gas giant exoplanet 133 light-years away – HD 206893 B – might have a huge exomoon, a team of astronomers says.
The possible exomoon has a mass 40% that of Jupiter, or nine times the mass of Neptune. It still needs to be confirmed, however.
A massive exomoon 133 light-years away?
We know that there are many exoplanets out there orbiting distant stars. Current models and observational data suggest between 100 billion and 400 billion exoplanets in our Milky Way galaxy. But what about exomoons? On January 29, 2026, a team of astronomers said they’ve detected another potential exomoon. And this one is big. The planet, HD 206893 B, is a gas giant about 28 times as massive as Jupiter, 133 light-years away. The suspected moon is about 40% the mass of Jupiter, or nine times the mass of Neptune.
If the discovery is confirmed, and the size estimate proves correct, we’ll have found an exomoon far larger and more massive than Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, the largest moon in our solar system.
For now, this discovery is one of a small but growing number of candidate exomoons. No exomoon has been confirmed yet. The new work comes from astronomers using the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in the Atacama desert in Chile. The researchers found the suspected moon by measuring “wobbles” in the motion of its planet.
Robert Lea wrote about the potentially exciting discovery at Space.com on January 22, 2026.
The researchers’ new paper has been accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, and is available as a preprint on arXiv (November 25, 2025).
Wobbling exoplanet
The researchers examined the orbit of HD 206893 B. They found that the planet exhibited a small “wobble” as it orbited its star. As lead author Quentin Kral at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. and the Paris Observatory mentioned to Space.com:
What we found is that HD 206893 B doesn’t just follow a smooth orbit around its star. On top of that motion, it shows a small but measurable back-and-forth ‘wobble.’ The wobble has a period of about nine months and a size comparable to the Earth–moon distance. This kind of signal is exactly what you would expect if the object were being tugged by an unseen companion, such as a large moon, making this system a particularly intriguing candidate for hosting an exomoon.
Cool discovery! If the exomoon interpretation is right, this object is enormous ! It orbits HD 206893 B at ~0.22 AU on a highly tilted orbit (~60°), blurring the line between a giant exomoon and a low-mass companion. Frontier science in action. observatoiredeparis.psl.eu/un-signal-in…
The researchers used the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope to make the detection. GRAVITY measures the positions of stars and other objects in space using astrometry. Astrometry makes precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. As Kral explained:
This technique has previously been used to measure the long, slow orbits of massive exoplanets and brown dwarfs, where observations spaced years apart are sufficient. In our study, we pushed this approach much further by monitoring the object over much shorter timescales, from days to months. What we found is that HD 206893 B doesn’t just follow a smooth orbit around its star. On top of that motion, it shows a small but measurable back-and-forth ‘wobble.’
Exomoons are difficult to detect because they produce signals that are extremely small compared to those of planets, and those signals depend very strongly on both the observing technique and the system’s geometry.
Quentin Kral at the University of Cambridge and the Paris Observatory led the new observations of the possible giant exomoon. Image via ResearchGate.
Transit method vs astrometry
Astronomers have used the transit method to detect many exoplanets. That’s when a planet transits – passes in front of – its star as seen from Earth. It’s not as useful for finding exomoons, however. Technically, it can find them, but is more suitable for planets that orbit very close to their stars. And those planets are the least likely to have moons. Kral said:
The transit method which has been the most successful technique for finding exoplanets can, in principle, detect moons comparable in size to Jupiter’s largest moons. However, it is most sensitive to planets orbiting very close to their stars, and theoretical studies suggest that such close-in planets are unlikely to retain large moons over long periods of time.
Astrometry is better suited for detecting exomoons around planets farther from their stars. As Kral explained:
Astrometry, the technique we use, is sensitive to longer-period moons orbiting planets or substellar companions far from their stars. This makes it particularly promising for detecting exomoons in regions where they are expected to be stable, at least for the most massive moons, which are likely to be the first ones we can find.
Questioning the definition of ‘moon’
The results of GRAVITY’s measurements suggest something amazing. HD 206893 B has a moon. But this moon is huge! If real, it is about 40% the mass of Jupiter. That’s nine times the mass of Neptune: a moon the size of some of the larger planets in our solar system. It orbits its planet about once every nine months at about 0.22 astronomical units, or 1/5 the distance between Earth and the sun. In addition, its orbit is tilted around 60 degrees to the orbital plane of the planet.
If confirmed, such a giant moon could call into question our current definition of what a moon is. Is this a moon and planet, or a double planet system?
View larger. | Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system. But the possible moon orbiting HD 206893 B would be much larger and more massive, about 40% the mass of Jupiter or 9 times the mass of Neptune. NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this view of Ganymede on June 7, 2021. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Kalleheikki Kannisto.
Comparison to Ganymede
The largest and most massive moon in our solar system is Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter. At 3,270 miles (5,260 kilometers) in diameter, it is larger than both Mercury and Pluto. But it pales in comparison to the possible moon of HD 206893 B. The potential exomoon would be about nine times the mass of Neptune, and Ganymede is thousands of times less massive than Neptune. Kral said at Space.com:
In our solar system, the most massive moon is Ganymede, which is still extremely small compared to what we are inferring here. Ganymede is thousands of times less massive than Neptune, so there is an enormous gap in mass between the largest moons we know and this potential exomoon candidate.
This naturally raises the question of whether such an object should even be called a moon. At these masses, the distinction between a massive moon and a very low-mass companion becomes blurred. However, there is currently no official definition of an exomoon, and in practice, astronomers generally refer to any object orbiting a planet or substellar companion as a moon.
View larger. | Artist’s concept of WASP-49 b, another gas giant exoplanet with a possible exomoon. This one might be highly volcanic. Image via NASA/ JPL/ Caltech.
We will find exomoons
Kral is optimistic about being able to confirm exomoons:
It’s important to keep in mind that we are likely only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Just as the first exoplanets discovered were the most massive ones orbiting very close to their stars – simply because they were the easiest to detect – the first exomoons we identify are expected to be the most massive and extreme examples.
As observational techniques improve, our definitions and understanding of what constitutes a moon will almost certainly evolve.
Bottom line: Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope might have found a massive exomoon – 40% the mass of Jupiter – orbiting a giant exoplanet 133 light-years away.
View larger. | Artist’s concept of a massive exomoon orbiting a gas giant exoplanet. A team of astronomers says it might have detected a huge exomoon orbiting the gas giant exoplanet HD 206893 B, 133 light-years from Earth. Image via NASA/ ESA/ L. Hustak (STScI).
Do exoplanets have exomoons? There are a growing number of candidates, but no distant planet has yet been confirmed to have an orbiting moon.
A gas giant exoplanet 133 light-years away – HD 206893 B – might have a huge exomoon, a team of astronomers says.
The possible exomoon has a mass 40% that of Jupiter, or nine times the mass of Neptune. It still needs to be confirmed, however.
A massive exomoon 133 light-years away?
We know that there are many exoplanets out there orbiting distant stars. Current models and observational data suggest between 100 billion and 400 billion exoplanets in our Milky Way galaxy. But what about exomoons? On January 29, 2026, a team of astronomers said they’ve detected another potential exomoon. And this one is big. The planet, HD 206893 B, is a gas giant about 28 times as massive as Jupiter, 133 light-years away. The suspected moon is about 40% the mass of Jupiter, or nine times the mass of Neptune.
If the discovery is confirmed, and the size estimate proves correct, we’ll have found an exomoon far larger and more massive than Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, the largest moon in our solar system.
For now, this discovery is one of a small but growing number of candidate exomoons. No exomoon has been confirmed yet. The new work comes from astronomers using the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in the Atacama desert in Chile. The researchers found the suspected moon by measuring “wobbles” in the motion of its planet.
Robert Lea wrote about the potentially exciting discovery at Space.com on January 22, 2026.
The researchers’ new paper has been accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, and is available as a preprint on arXiv (November 25, 2025).
Wobbling exoplanet
The researchers examined the orbit of HD 206893 B. They found that the planet exhibited a small “wobble” as it orbited its star. As lead author Quentin Kral at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. and the Paris Observatory mentioned to Space.com:
What we found is that HD 206893 B doesn’t just follow a smooth orbit around its star. On top of that motion, it shows a small but measurable back-and-forth ‘wobble.’ The wobble has a period of about nine months and a size comparable to the Earth–moon distance. This kind of signal is exactly what you would expect if the object were being tugged by an unseen companion, such as a large moon, making this system a particularly intriguing candidate for hosting an exomoon.
Cool discovery! If the exomoon interpretation is right, this object is enormous ! It orbits HD 206893 B at ~0.22 AU on a highly tilted orbit (~60°), blurring the line between a giant exomoon and a low-mass companion. Frontier science in action. observatoiredeparis.psl.eu/un-signal-in…
The researchers used the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope to make the detection. GRAVITY measures the positions of stars and other objects in space using astrometry. Astrometry makes precise measurements of the positions and movements of stars and other celestial bodies. As Kral explained:
This technique has previously been used to measure the long, slow orbits of massive exoplanets and brown dwarfs, where observations spaced years apart are sufficient. In our study, we pushed this approach much further by monitoring the object over much shorter timescales, from days to months. What we found is that HD 206893 B doesn’t just follow a smooth orbit around its star. On top of that motion, it shows a small but measurable back-and-forth ‘wobble.’
Exomoons are difficult to detect because they produce signals that are extremely small compared to those of planets, and those signals depend very strongly on both the observing technique and the system’s geometry.
Quentin Kral at the University of Cambridge and the Paris Observatory led the new observations of the possible giant exomoon. Image via ResearchGate.
Transit method vs astrometry
Astronomers have used the transit method to detect many exoplanets. That’s when a planet transits – passes in front of – its star as seen from Earth. It’s not as useful for finding exomoons, however. Technically, it can find them, but is more suitable for planets that orbit very close to their stars. And those planets are the least likely to have moons. Kral said:
The transit method which has been the most successful technique for finding exoplanets can, in principle, detect moons comparable in size to Jupiter’s largest moons. However, it is most sensitive to planets orbiting very close to their stars, and theoretical studies suggest that such close-in planets are unlikely to retain large moons over long periods of time.
Astrometry is better suited for detecting exomoons around planets farther from their stars. As Kral explained:
Astrometry, the technique we use, is sensitive to longer-period moons orbiting planets or substellar companions far from their stars. This makes it particularly promising for detecting exomoons in regions where they are expected to be stable, at least for the most massive moons, which are likely to be the first ones we can find.
Questioning the definition of ‘moon’
The results of GRAVITY’s measurements suggest something amazing. HD 206893 B has a moon. But this moon is huge! If real, it is about 40% the mass of Jupiter. That’s nine times the mass of Neptune: a moon the size of some of the larger planets in our solar system. It orbits its planet about once every nine months at about 0.22 astronomical units, or 1/5 the distance between Earth and the sun. In addition, its orbit is tilted around 60 degrees to the orbital plane of the planet.
If confirmed, such a giant moon could call into question our current definition of what a moon is. Is this a moon and planet, or a double planet system?
View larger. | Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system. But the possible moon orbiting HD 206893 B would be much larger and more massive, about 40% the mass of Jupiter or 9 times the mass of Neptune. NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this view of Ganymede on June 7, 2021. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ SwRI/ MSSS/ Kalleheikki Kannisto.
Comparison to Ganymede
The largest and most massive moon in our solar system is Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter. At 3,270 miles (5,260 kilometers) in diameter, it is larger than both Mercury and Pluto. But it pales in comparison to the possible moon of HD 206893 B. The potential exomoon would be about nine times the mass of Neptune, and Ganymede is thousands of times less massive than Neptune. Kral said at Space.com:
In our solar system, the most massive moon is Ganymede, which is still extremely small compared to what we are inferring here. Ganymede is thousands of times less massive than Neptune, so there is an enormous gap in mass between the largest moons we know and this potential exomoon candidate.
This naturally raises the question of whether such an object should even be called a moon. At these masses, the distinction between a massive moon and a very low-mass companion becomes blurred. However, there is currently no official definition of an exomoon, and in practice, astronomers generally refer to any object orbiting a planet or substellar companion as a moon.
View larger. | Artist’s concept of WASP-49 b, another gas giant exoplanet with a possible exomoon. This one might be highly volcanic. Image via NASA/ JPL/ Caltech.
We will find exomoons
Kral is optimistic about being able to confirm exomoons:
It’s important to keep in mind that we are likely only seeing the tip of the iceberg. Just as the first exoplanets discovered were the most massive ones orbiting very close to their stars – simply because they were the easiest to detect – the first exomoons we identify are expected to be the most massive and extreme examples.
As observational techniques improve, our definitions and understanding of what constitutes a moon will almost certainly evolve.
Bottom line: Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope might have found a massive exomoon – 40% the mass of Jupiter – orbiting a giant exoplanet 133 light-years away.
ESA’s Proba-3 spacecraft captured this image of our star. The sun’s dazzling body is blocked by 1 of the 2 satellites making up Proba-3, leaving the other satellite free to image the our star’s wispy outer atmosphere. Now, a new mission proposes to use the moon, rather than a second spacecraft, to create artificial solar eclipses like these. See more of the images here. Image via ESA/ Proba-3/ ASPIICS/ WOW algorithm.
New mission could create artificial solar eclipses in space
When a solar storm strikes Earth, it can disrupt technology that’s vital for our daily lives. Solar storms occur when magnetic fields and electrically charged particles collide with the Earth’s magnetic field. This type of event falls into the category known as “space weather”.
An international team of researchers (including us, the authors of this article) is working on a spacecraft mission that would enable researchers to study the conditions that create solar storms, leading to improved forecasts of space weather.
The proposed mission, known as Mesom (Moon-Enabled Sun Occultation Mission), aims to create total solar eclipses in space. It would use the moon to view the sun’s atmosphere in more detail than ever before.
Why are artificial solar eclipses necessary?
The need for a better understanding of solar storms is evident from looking at past disruptions. In 1989, for example, the sun sent the Canadian province of Quebec into a nine-hour blackout. The cause was a coronal mass ejection (CME); a huge burst of hot plasma and magnetic fields thrown off from the sun’s atmosphere towards space.
The event is estimated to have cost tens of millions of US and Canadian dollars. That’s both in lost business productivity and the need to replace damaged power equipment.
In May 2024, a succession of similar solar eruptions caused thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit to abruptly drop in altitude. GPS outages cost US farmers alone an estimated US$500 million.
But these storms were significantly weaker than one in 1859, also the result of a CME, which is known as the Carrington Event. Electrical currents flowing through telegraph wires caused operators to receive electric shocks and even started fires in telegraph offices. Today, a Carrington-like event would have far more dramatic consequences on our technology-dependent world.
Yet, our view of the sun’s outer atmosphere, the solar corona – from which CMEs originate – remains dazzled by the bright light of the sun itself. A new UK-led spacecraft mission aims to change that by creating artificial solar eclipses in space.
Artist’s concept of activity on the sun traveling across space to interact with Earth’s magnetic field. Not to scale. Image via NASA/ Wikimedia Commons.
Better forecasting
During total solar eclipses, the light coming from the surface of the sun is occulted (covered) by the moon. That leaves behind only a faint glow of light coming from the outer layers of the sun’s atmosphere, the corona.
Observing the physical processes in the corona at different timescales and wavelengths is key to enabling better forecasting of space weather. Plus, it could help solve longstanding mysteries of our star. These include how the sun’s evolving magnetic fields confine and release the hot plasma of its volatile atmosphere.
Unfortunately, total solar eclipses are predictable yet rare events that only last for a few minutes. All total eclipses in the 21st century will last less than seven minutes each, and will occur only once every 18 months on average.
Total solar eclipse measurements from the ground are also subject to weather conditions. Plus, Earth’s atmosphere causes observations to suffer from distortions and loss of detail.
A new take on the coronagraph
For decades, scientists and engineers have observed the corona by artificially covering the sun. They do so using clever optics and instrument design inspired by the pioneering work of Bernard Lyot, a French astronomer who first come up with the idea of a “coronagraph”.
Coronagraphs are telescopes equipped with an occulting disk to block out the overwhelming light coming from the visible surface a star.
In a coronagraph, the faint coronal light can be picked up and translated into digital signals. This is the working principle of the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, which has returned stunning images of the sun’s corona since its launch in 1995.
However, even ground-based and space-based coronagraphs cannot capture images of the deepest layers of the sun’s atmosphere. That’s due to artifacts – artificial effects such as streaks of light that appear in images – and instrument limitations that significantly degrade the quality of the measurements closer to the sun’s surface.
And while the recently launched Proba-3 coronagraph has improved this, it is still unable to image the solar atmosphere’s deepest layers. Proba-3 is a European Space Agency-led technology demonstration mission that relies on a pair of satellites flying in a close formation (up to 150 meters, or 490 feet, apart during observations) to produce artificial solar eclipses in space.
Artist’s illustration of the 2-part Proba-3 spacecraft, which launched on December 5, 2024. The pair of satellites are aligned so that one satellite blocks the sun’s glare for the other. This allows the second satellite to image the sun’s otherwise invisible atmosphere. Image via ESA/ P. Carril.
Celestial occulters
UK Airbus engineers Steve Eckersley and Stephen Kemble have proposed an alternative approach. They advocate the use of celestial bodies as natural occulters (covers).
The idea is to fly a spacecraft mission in a celestial object’s shadow to enable prolonged and high-quality measurements of the corona down to the sun’s chromosphere. That is, the layer of the sun’s atmosphere located just below the corona. This would effectively recreate the same total solar eclipse conditions we experience occasionally on Earth, but without the degradations that our planet’s atmosphere causes.
Our celestial neighbour, the moon, is a near-perfect sphere and does not have a thick atmosphere. That makes it among the best natural occulting disks found in the solar system.
A pool of engineers at the Surrey Space Centre has investigated the possibility of using the moon as a natural occulting disk for studying the solar corona, and came up with the Mesom concept.
Mesom is a mini-satellite mission that capitalises on the chaotic dynamics of the sun-Earth-moon system to collect high-quality measurements of the inner solar corona once a month, for observation windows as long as 48 minutes. That’s much longer than the sporadic total solar eclipses on Earth.
Hopes for the future
Funded by the UK Space Agency, the feasibility study of Mesom has grown into a wider international consortium led by UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory and including the Universities of Surrey and Aberystwyth, plus partners from Spain, the US and Australia.
The project has recently been submitted to the European Space Agency for consideration as a future mission. The current mission design proposes a launch in the 2030s, returning at least 400 minutes of high-resolution, low-altitude coronal observations during its two-year nominal science operations.
To collect the same amount of data on Earth, eclipse hunters would have to wait for more than 80 years. This makes Mesom a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to unravel some of the secrets of the sun’s atmosphere.
Bottom line: A team of researchers is working on a spacecraft mission that would use the moon to create artificial solar eclipses, aiding with space weather monitoring.
ESA’s Proba-3 spacecraft captured this image of our star. The sun’s dazzling body is blocked by 1 of the 2 satellites making up Proba-3, leaving the other satellite free to image the our star’s wispy outer atmosphere. Now, a new mission proposes to use the moon, rather than a second spacecraft, to create artificial solar eclipses like these. See more of the images here. Image via ESA/ Proba-3/ ASPIICS/ WOW algorithm.
New mission could create artificial solar eclipses in space
When a solar storm strikes Earth, it can disrupt technology that’s vital for our daily lives. Solar storms occur when magnetic fields and electrically charged particles collide with the Earth’s magnetic field. This type of event falls into the category known as “space weather”.
An international team of researchers (including us, the authors of this article) is working on a spacecraft mission that would enable researchers to study the conditions that create solar storms, leading to improved forecasts of space weather.
The proposed mission, known as Mesom (Moon-Enabled Sun Occultation Mission), aims to create total solar eclipses in space. It would use the moon to view the sun’s atmosphere in more detail than ever before.
Why are artificial solar eclipses necessary?
The need for a better understanding of solar storms is evident from looking at past disruptions. In 1989, for example, the sun sent the Canadian province of Quebec into a nine-hour blackout. The cause was a coronal mass ejection (CME); a huge burst of hot plasma and magnetic fields thrown off from the sun’s atmosphere towards space.
The event is estimated to have cost tens of millions of US and Canadian dollars. That’s both in lost business productivity and the need to replace damaged power equipment.
In May 2024, a succession of similar solar eruptions caused thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit to abruptly drop in altitude. GPS outages cost US farmers alone an estimated US$500 million.
But these storms were significantly weaker than one in 1859, also the result of a CME, which is known as the Carrington Event. Electrical currents flowing through telegraph wires caused operators to receive electric shocks and even started fires in telegraph offices. Today, a Carrington-like event would have far more dramatic consequences on our technology-dependent world.
Yet, our view of the sun’s outer atmosphere, the solar corona – from which CMEs originate – remains dazzled by the bright light of the sun itself. A new UK-led spacecraft mission aims to change that by creating artificial solar eclipses in space.
Artist’s concept of activity on the sun traveling across space to interact with Earth’s magnetic field. Not to scale. Image via NASA/ Wikimedia Commons.
Better forecasting
During total solar eclipses, the light coming from the surface of the sun is occulted (covered) by the moon. That leaves behind only a faint glow of light coming from the outer layers of the sun’s atmosphere, the corona.
Observing the physical processes in the corona at different timescales and wavelengths is key to enabling better forecasting of space weather. Plus, it could help solve longstanding mysteries of our star. These include how the sun’s evolving magnetic fields confine and release the hot plasma of its volatile atmosphere.
Unfortunately, total solar eclipses are predictable yet rare events that only last for a few minutes. All total eclipses in the 21st century will last less than seven minutes each, and will occur only once every 18 months on average.
Total solar eclipse measurements from the ground are also subject to weather conditions. Plus, Earth’s atmosphere causes observations to suffer from distortions and loss of detail.
A new take on the coronagraph
For decades, scientists and engineers have observed the corona by artificially covering the sun. They do so using clever optics and instrument design inspired by the pioneering work of Bernard Lyot, a French astronomer who first come up with the idea of a “coronagraph”.
Coronagraphs are telescopes equipped with an occulting disk to block out the overwhelming light coming from the visible surface a star.
In a coronagraph, the faint coronal light can be picked up and translated into digital signals. This is the working principle of the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, which has returned stunning images of the sun’s corona since its launch in 1995.
However, even ground-based and space-based coronagraphs cannot capture images of the deepest layers of the sun’s atmosphere. That’s due to artifacts – artificial effects such as streaks of light that appear in images – and instrument limitations that significantly degrade the quality of the measurements closer to the sun’s surface.
And while the recently launched Proba-3 coronagraph has improved this, it is still unable to image the solar atmosphere’s deepest layers. Proba-3 is a European Space Agency-led technology demonstration mission that relies on a pair of satellites flying in a close formation (up to 150 meters, or 490 feet, apart during observations) to produce artificial solar eclipses in space.
Artist’s illustration of the 2-part Proba-3 spacecraft, which launched on December 5, 2024. The pair of satellites are aligned so that one satellite blocks the sun’s glare for the other. This allows the second satellite to image the sun’s otherwise invisible atmosphere. Image via ESA/ P. Carril.
Celestial occulters
UK Airbus engineers Steve Eckersley and Stephen Kemble have proposed an alternative approach. They advocate the use of celestial bodies as natural occulters (covers).
The idea is to fly a spacecraft mission in a celestial object’s shadow to enable prolonged and high-quality measurements of the corona down to the sun’s chromosphere. That is, the layer of the sun’s atmosphere located just below the corona. This would effectively recreate the same total solar eclipse conditions we experience occasionally on Earth, but without the degradations that our planet’s atmosphere causes.
Our celestial neighbour, the moon, is a near-perfect sphere and does not have a thick atmosphere. That makes it among the best natural occulting disks found in the solar system.
A pool of engineers at the Surrey Space Centre has investigated the possibility of using the moon as a natural occulting disk for studying the solar corona, and came up with the Mesom concept.
Mesom is a mini-satellite mission that capitalises on the chaotic dynamics of the sun-Earth-moon system to collect high-quality measurements of the inner solar corona once a month, for observation windows as long as 48 minutes. That’s much longer than the sporadic total solar eclipses on Earth.
Hopes for the future
Funded by the UK Space Agency, the feasibility study of Mesom has grown into a wider international consortium led by UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory and including the Universities of Surrey and Aberystwyth, plus partners from Spain, the US and Australia.
The project has recently been submitted to the European Space Agency for consideration as a future mission. The current mission design proposes a launch in the 2030s, returning at least 400 minutes of high-resolution, low-altitude coronal observations during its two-year nominal science operations.
To collect the same amount of data on Earth, eclipse hunters would have to wait for more than 80 years. This makes Mesom a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to unravel some of the secrets of the sun’s atmosphere.
Bottom line: A team of researchers is working on a spacecraft mission that would use the moon to create artificial solar eclipses, aiding with space weather monitoring.
