View at EarthSky Community Photos. | EarthSky’s Kelly Kizer Whitt captured the northern lights from near Madison, Wisconsin, on November 11, 2025. Kelly wrote: “An amazing night of aurora. In front of the red curtains we had bright green active blobs. One of the better displays I’ve seen.” Thank you, Kelly! Enjoy more aurora photos below.
Vivid reds and greens exploded across the sky on Tuesday night, November 11, 2025, as auroras dipped into southern-US latitudes and beyond. EarthSky community members from around the globe captured fabulous photos of the display. See some of the editor’s picks here.
The lights appeared after several bursts of sun-stuff – coronal mass ejections, or CMEs – impacted Earth’s magnetic field, triggering a severe (G4) geomagnetic storm.
And we’re expecting more auroras on Wednesday night, too! The sun has been particularly active lately, shooting off a number of X flares and coronal mass ejections. Stay up to date with our daily sun news.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ross Stone in Big Pine, California, captured this stunning view on November 11, 2025, and wrote: “The NRAO radio telescope in Owens Valley and the beautiful red aurora in the November sky. This was awesome, and the sky was so bright.” Thank you, Ross!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | EarthSky’s Marcy Curran in Cheyenne, Wyoming, captured a beautiful display of aurora on November 11, 2025. Marcy wrote: “Aurora put on quite a show from Wyoming tonight. Lots of reds and green easily visible to the eye. We live in a semi-rural spot.” Thank you, Marcy!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Darrell Reese could see the aurora on November 11, 2025, from Ohio! Thank you for sharing your photo Darrell.View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski shared this wonderful image from the Desert Bloom Observatory in Arizona. She wrote: “I stepped outside, camera in hand, and there it was … a crimson veil glimmering above the desert horizon. As clouds drifted in, they blurred the stars and bloomed their light, yet the magic lingered. I pressed the shutter and caught the sky’s rare blush.” Thank you, Jelieta!
Aurora photos from our community
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona, captured this aurora on November 11, 2025. Eliot wrote: “Seeing an aurora in Arizona at the southern border is exceptional, but this has been an exceptional year. As night fell, the sky turned magenta in the north, bright for about 20 minutes and faded, perhaps to become bright again sometime in the night. I shot wide angle and this telephoto to get a Saguaro framed in the aurora — being an exceptional scene this far south.” Thank you, Eliot!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steve Wilson in Salina, Kansas, captured this aurora on November 11, 2025. Steve wrote: “Had reports of very strong magnetic storms from the sun so I saw that the northern lights may be visible here in Kansas, so I got my camera set up on tripod with y 14mm wide angle lens and pointed north to get some photos. Chose this one as one of many I took.” Thank you, Steve!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Bill Kozar in Taylorsville, Indiana, captured this aurora on November 11, 2025. Bill wrote: “A friend told me the auroras were active, and he was not kidding. The fish eye lens could not take it all in at times.” Thank you, Bill!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Joel Weatherly in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, captured this aurora on November 11, 2025. Joel wrote: “Tonight, the auroras have been sporting a vibrant red hue. As seen from Edmonton, the activity was most prominent in the southern sky (Saturn is the bright point at the top of the tree) as the auroral oval arched overhead.” Thank you, Joel!
More aurora photos from our community
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | John Ashley in Rio Rico, Arizona, captured this wonderful view on November 11, 2025, and wrote: “Bright reds in tonight’s aurora were visible for about 30 minutes, then faded back to a diffuse, colorless glow.” Thank you, John.View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Martin Curran in Cheyenne, Wyoming, photographed the aurora on November 11, 2025, and wrote: “This is facing east. You can spot Orion, to the right, Jupiter in the middle with Castor and Pollux above it. Wow, what a show tonight and it’s still going strong.” Thank you, Martin!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ruth Goodwin-Hager in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, shared this image from November 11, 2025, and wrote: “I banged on my neighbors’ doors and recruited others to come outside and see the fabulous lights. It’s been 30 years since I’ve seen northern lights from my backyard like this. Amazing!” Thank you, Ruth!
Can’t stop, won’t stop!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Peter Brouwer in Lindenow, Victoria, Australia, captured the aurora australis last night. Peter wrote: “Taken from our garden.” Thank you, Peter!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Patricia Evans in Seabrook, New Hampshire, captured the aurora on November 11, 2025. Patricia wrote: “Aurora borealis honors Veterans Day. I was afraid that the cloud cover would prevent viewing the Aurora Borealis but the reds and greens were amazingly intense! What a goosebump moment!” Thank you, Patricia!
Bottom line: Stargazers saw vivid reds and greens paint the sky last night, November 11, 2025, as auroras dipped into southern-US latitudes and beyond.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | EarthSky’s Kelly Kizer Whitt captured the northern lights from near Madison, Wisconsin, on November 11, 2025. Kelly wrote: “An amazing night of aurora. In front of the red curtains we had bright green active blobs. One of the better displays I’ve seen.” Thank you, Kelly! Enjoy more aurora photos below.
Vivid reds and greens exploded across the sky on Tuesday night, November 11, 2025, as auroras dipped into southern-US latitudes and beyond. EarthSky community members from around the globe captured fabulous photos of the display. See some of the editor’s picks here.
The lights appeared after several bursts of sun-stuff – coronal mass ejections, or CMEs – impacted Earth’s magnetic field, triggering a severe (G4) geomagnetic storm.
And we’re expecting more auroras on Wednesday night, too! The sun has been particularly active lately, shooting off a number of X flares and coronal mass ejections. Stay up to date with our daily sun news.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ross Stone in Big Pine, California, captured this stunning view on November 11, 2025, and wrote: “The NRAO radio telescope in Owens Valley and the beautiful red aurora in the November sky. This was awesome, and the sky was so bright.” Thank you, Ross!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | EarthSky’s Marcy Curran in Cheyenne, Wyoming, captured a beautiful display of aurora on November 11, 2025. Marcy wrote: “Aurora put on quite a show from Wyoming tonight. Lots of reds and green easily visible to the eye. We live in a semi-rural spot.” Thank you, Marcy!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Darrell Reese could see the aurora on November 11, 2025, from Ohio! Thank you for sharing your photo Darrell.View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Jelieta Walinski shared this wonderful image from the Desert Bloom Observatory in Arizona. She wrote: “I stepped outside, camera in hand, and there it was … a crimson veil glimmering above the desert horizon. As clouds drifted in, they blurred the stars and bloomed their light, yet the magic lingered. I pressed the shutter and caught the sky’s rare blush.” Thank you, Jelieta!
Aurora photos from our community
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona, captured this aurora on November 11, 2025. Eliot wrote: “Seeing an aurora in Arizona at the southern border is exceptional, but this has been an exceptional year. As night fell, the sky turned magenta in the north, bright for about 20 minutes and faded, perhaps to become bright again sometime in the night. I shot wide angle and this telephoto to get a Saguaro framed in the aurora — being an exceptional scene this far south.” Thank you, Eliot!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steve Wilson in Salina, Kansas, captured this aurora on November 11, 2025. Steve wrote: “Had reports of very strong magnetic storms from the sun so I saw that the northern lights may be visible here in Kansas, so I got my camera set up on tripod with y 14mm wide angle lens and pointed north to get some photos. Chose this one as one of many I took.” Thank you, Steve!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Bill Kozar in Taylorsville, Indiana, captured this aurora on November 11, 2025. Bill wrote: “A friend told me the auroras were active, and he was not kidding. The fish eye lens could not take it all in at times.” Thank you, Bill!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Joel Weatherly in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, captured this aurora on November 11, 2025. Joel wrote: “Tonight, the auroras have been sporting a vibrant red hue. As seen from Edmonton, the activity was most prominent in the southern sky (Saturn is the bright point at the top of the tree) as the auroral oval arched overhead.” Thank you, Joel!
More aurora photos from our community
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | John Ashley in Rio Rico, Arizona, captured this wonderful view on November 11, 2025, and wrote: “Bright reds in tonight’s aurora were visible for about 30 minutes, then faded back to a diffuse, colorless glow.” Thank you, John.View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Martin Curran in Cheyenne, Wyoming, photographed the aurora on November 11, 2025, and wrote: “This is facing east. You can spot Orion, to the right, Jupiter in the middle with Castor and Pollux above it. Wow, what a show tonight and it’s still going strong.” Thank you, Martin!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Ruth Goodwin-Hager in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, shared this image from November 11, 2025, and wrote: “I banged on my neighbors’ doors and recruited others to come outside and see the fabulous lights. It’s been 30 years since I’ve seen northern lights from my backyard like this. Amazing!” Thank you, Ruth!
Can’t stop, won’t stop!
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Peter Brouwer in Lindenow, Victoria, Australia, captured the aurora australis last night. Peter wrote: “Taken from our garden.” Thank you, Peter!View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Patricia Evans in Seabrook, New Hampshire, captured the aurora on November 11, 2025. Patricia wrote: “Aurora borealis honors Veterans Day. I was afraid that the cloud cover would prevent viewing the Aurora Borealis but the reds and greens were amazingly intense! What a goosebump moment!” Thank you, Patricia!
Bottom line: Stargazers saw vivid reds and greens paint the sky last night, November 11, 2025, as auroras dipped into southern-US latitudes and beyond.
Artist’s concept of the Cassini spacecraft sweeping past Saturn’s moon Enceladus and its famous water vapor plumes. In a new analysis of data from the Cassini mission, scientists measured heat flow at both of its poles for the 1st time. The study showed the subsurface ocean on Enceladus is likely stable enough to be habitable for life. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.
Saturn’s moon Enceladus has a salty, global subsurface ocean similar to Earth’s oceans. Is it habitable? Could there actually be life there?
Enceladus’ ocean is likely stable enough to support life, a new analysis of Cassini data showed.
Scientists measured heat flow at the moon’s north pole for the 1st time. This heat loss at both poles is evidence that the ocean is stable over long geological time periods.
Scientists have found yet more evidence that the subsurface ocean on Saturn’s moon Enceladus might be habitable. Researchers from the University of Oxford, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Texas and the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) in Arizona said on November 10, 2025, that they have confirmed heat flow at the moon’s north pole, not just the south pole as first thought. This indicates that Enceladus is generating a lot more heat inside than previously known. This suggests the ocean has been stable over the long term geologically. It’s an exciting new finding hinting at how this alien ocean just might be home for some form of life.
The researchers used data from the now-finished Cassini mission for their new study.
Previously, scientists thought heat was escaping into space only from Enceladus’ south pole. That is where the huge water vapor plumes erupt from long cracks in the icy surface called tiger stripes. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft previously flew through the plumes and sampled them to analyze their composition.
The intriguing new peer-reviewed results were published in Science Advances on November 7, 2025.
Heat loss at Enceladus’ north pole
Scientists have thought that the north pole on Enceladus was much less geologically active than its south pole. That made sense, since it’s at the south pole where the tiger stripes and plumes are located. And scientists had only measured heat loss at the south pole.
But now, it seems there might be some geological activity at the north pole after all. The researchers compared Cassini observations of the north polar region in deep winter (in 2005) and summer (in 2015). They then measured how much energy Enceladus loses from its “warm” subsurface ocean (32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius) as heat travels through the icy outer shell to the surface (–370 degrees F, or -223 degrees C) and then radiates into space.
Lead author Georgina Miles at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and a visiting scientist at the Department of Physics, University of Oxford, said:
Eking out the subtle surface temperature variations caused by Enceladus’ conductive heat flow from its daily and seasonal temperature changes was a challenge, and was only made possible by Cassini’s extended missions.
View larger. | This infographic depicts heat transfer from Enceladus’ subsurface ocean, at both the north and south poles. This balance shows the ocean is stable over the long term and increases the chances of it being habitable. Image via University of Oxford/ NASA/ JPL-CalTech/ Space Science Institute (PIA19656 and PIA11141).View larger. | A visible-light image of Enceladus’ north pole, taken by Cassini on November 27, 2016. The terrain is much more cratered than in the south, but the infrared images – and the cracks in the surface seen here – show there has been at least some geological activity in the region. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.
North pole warmer than expected
Researchers modeled the expected surface temperatures during the polar night and compared them with infrared observations from the Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS). And – surprise – they found the surface at the north pole was about 7 Kelvin warmer than expected. According to the researchers, only heat leaking from the ocean below could explain that.
The researchers measured the heat flow at 46 ± 4 milliwatts per square meter. That’s equivalent to 2/3 of the heat loss (per unit area) through Earth’s continental crusts. This is a total heat loss of 35 gigawatts for all of Enceladus. That equals 66 million solar panels (with an output of 530 watts) or 10,500 wind turbines (with an output of 3.4 megawatts).
The results also show the ice shell thickness at the north pole to be about 12-19 miles (20-30 km). This is consistent with previous models.
Interestingly, another team of researchers said in 2020 that they found evidence for plumes at Enceladus’ north pole, as well. They are thought to be smaller and weaker than the ones at the south pole. But if confirmed, they would fit with the new evidence for heat leaking from the ocean at the north pole, through cracks in the ice crust.
Evidence for a stable ocean on Enceladus
The researchers then combined the heat loss at both poles for a total of about 54 gigawatts. Notably, that is close to what models predicted for heat input from tidal forces in the ocean. Why is that significant? It means there is a balance between heat production and heat loss. That would allow the subsurface ocean to remain stable for a long time.
The tidal heating – caused by Saturn’s gravity tugging on Enceladus – would maintain this balance. This is important. If the ocean doesn’t gain enough energy, it would eventually freeze solid. If there’s too much energy, however, then that could alter the chemistry of the ocean, perhaps making it less habitable.
Georgina Miles at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is the lead author of the new study about heat loss and the habitability of Enceladus’ subsurface ocean. Image via ResearchGate.
Enceladus: An abode of life?
The evidence has mounted in recent years that Enceladus’ ocean is potentially habitable. Cassini found all of the necessary ingredients in the water vapor plumes, including complex organics and phosphorous. The ocean is also salty, but not toosalty. There is also evidence for hydrothermal activity – hydrothermal vents – on the ocean floor, much like in Earth’s oceans.
But more study is needed, including from future missions going back to Enceladus. And as with Cassini, it can take many years to go through all of the data. As Miles noted:
Our study highlights the need for long-term missions to ocean worlds that may harbor life, and the fact the data might not reveal all its secrets until decades after it has been obtained.
Bottom line: The subsurface ocean on Enceladus is stable enough for life, a new study of data from the Cassini mission suggests. Heat flow at both poles provides the clues.
Artist’s concept of the Cassini spacecraft sweeping past Saturn’s moon Enceladus and its famous water vapor plumes. In a new analysis of data from the Cassini mission, scientists measured heat flow at both of its poles for the 1st time. The study showed the subsurface ocean on Enceladus is likely stable enough to be habitable for life. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.
Saturn’s moon Enceladus has a salty, global subsurface ocean similar to Earth’s oceans. Is it habitable? Could there actually be life there?
Enceladus’ ocean is likely stable enough to support life, a new analysis of Cassini data showed.
Scientists measured heat flow at the moon’s north pole for the 1st time. This heat loss at both poles is evidence that the ocean is stable over long geological time periods.
Scientists have found yet more evidence that the subsurface ocean on Saturn’s moon Enceladus might be habitable. Researchers from the University of Oxford, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Texas and the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) in Arizona said on November 10, 2025, that they have confirmed heat flow at the moon’s north pole, not just the south pole as first thought. This indicates that Enceladus is generating a lot more heat inside than previously known. This suggests the ocean has been stable over the long term geologically. It’s an exciting new finding hinting at how this alien ocean just might be home for some form of life.
The researchers used data from the now-finished Cassini mission for their new study.
Previously, scientists thought heat was escaping into space only from Enceladus’ south pole. That is where the huge water vapor plumes erupt from long cracks in the icy surface called tiger stripes. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft previously flew through the plumes and sampled them to analyze their composition.
The intriguing new peer-reviewed results were published in Science Advances on November 7, 2025.
Heat loss at Enceladus’ north pole
Scientists have thought that the north pole on Enceladus was much less geologically active than its south pole. That made sense, since it’s at the south pole where the tiger stripes and plumes are located. And scientists had only measured heat loss at the south pole.
But now, it seems there might be some geological activity at the north pole after all. The researchers compared Cassini observations of the north polar region in deep winter (in 2005) and summer (in 2015). They then measured how much energy Enceladus loses from its “warm” subsurface ocean (32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius) as heat travels through the icy outer shell to the surface (–370 degrees F, or -223 degrees C) and then radiates into space.
Lead author Georgina Miles at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and a visiting scientist at the Department of Physics, University of Oxford, said:
Eking out the subtle surface temperature variations caused by Enceladus’ conductive heat flow from its daily and seasonal temperature changes was a challenge, and was only made possible by Cassini’s extended missions.
View larger. | This infographic depicts heat transfer from Enceladus’ subsurface ocean, at both the north and south poles. This balance shows the ocean is stable over the long term and increases the chances of it being habitable. Image via University of Oxford/ NASA/ JPL-CalTech/ Space Science Institute (PIA19656 and PIA11141).View larger. | A visible-light image of Enceladus’ north pole, taken by Cassini on November 27, 2016. The terrain is much more cratered than in the south, but the infrared images – and the cracks in the surface seen here – show there has been at least some geological activity in the region. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.
North pole warmer than expected
Researchers modeled the expected surface temperatures during the polar night and compared them with infrared observations from the Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS). And – surprise – they found the surface at the north pole was about 7 Kelvin warmer than expected. According to the researchers, only heat leaking from the ocean below could explain that.
The researchers measured the heat flow at 46 ± 4 milliwatts per square meter. That’s equivalent to 2/3 of the heat loss (per unit area) through Earth’s continental crusts. This is a total heat loss of 35 gigawatts for all of Enceladus. That equals 66 million solar panels (with an output of 530 watts) or 10,500 wind turbines (with an output of 3.4 megawatts).
The results also show the ice shell thickness at the north pole to be about 12-19 miles (20-30 km). This is consistent with previous models.
Interestingly, another team of researchers said in 2020 that they found evidence for plumes at Enceladus’ north pole, as well. They are thought to be smaller and weaker than the ones at the south pole. But if confirmed, they would fit with the new evidence for heat leaking from the ocean at the north pole, through cracks in the ice crust.
Evidence for a stable ocean on Enceladus
The researchers then combined the heat loss at both poles for a total of about 54 gigawatts. Notably, that is close to what models predicted for heat input from tidal forces in the ocean. Why is that significant? It means there is a balance between heat production and heat loss. That would allow the subsurface ocean to remain stable for a long time.
The tidal heating – caused by Saturn’s gravity tugging on Enceladus – would maintain this balance. This is important. If the ocean doesn’t gain enough energy, it would eventually freeze solid. If there’s too much energy, however, then that could alter the chemistry of the ocean, perhaps making it less habitable.
Georgina Miles at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is the lead author of the new study about heat loss and the habitability of Enceladus’ subsurface ocean. Image via ResearchGate.
Enceladus: An abode of life?
The evidence has mounted in recent years that Enceladus’ ocean is potentially habitable. Cassini found all of the necessary ingredients in the water vapor plumes, including complex organics and phosphorous. The ocean is also salty, but not toosalty. There is also evidence for hydrothermal activity – hydrothermal vents – on the ocean floor, much like in Earth’s oceans.
But more study is needed, including from future missions going back to Enceladus. And as with Cassini, it can take many years to go through all of the data. As Miles noted:
Our study highlights the need for long-term missions to ocean worlds that may harbor life, and the fact the data might not reveal all its secrets until decades after it has been obtained.
Bottom line: The subsurface ocean on Enceladus is stable enough for life, a new study of data from the Cassini mission suggests. Heat flow at both poles provides the clues.
Pegasus the Flying Horse rises in the east on autumn evenings in the Northern Hemisphere (spring evenings in the Southern Hemisphere). It dominates the sky with its giant square asterism, fittingly called the Great Square. In mythology, Pegasus figured into the greatest – surely the most elaborate – of all sky myths. This one is from ancient Greece some 3,000 years ago. According to the myth, Pegasus was the flying horse ridden by Perseus the Hero, as he swooped in to save Princess Andromeda from a sea monster. There’s more to the story, which you’ll find in the video at the top of this page.
Today, we see Pegasus as the 7th-largest of the 88 official constellations. And Pegasus is easy to find. On fall evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, this constellation climbs above the eastern horizon, reaching a spot nearly overhead by late fall.
Its asterism – the Great Square of Pegasus – is huge. The square alone is 20 degrees wide from top to bottom. That’s the span of two fist-widths held at arm’s length.
On autumn evenings in the Northern Hemisphere – spring evenings in the Southern Hemisphere – Pegasus the Flying Horse is ascending in the east in the evening hours. You’ll most easily notice the giant, square-shaped asterism within Pegasus, called the Great Square.
Stars of Pegasus
As it rises in the evening, the star in the Great Square closest to the horizon is Algenib, with a magnitude of 2.8. It lies 390 light-years away. The star on the opposite corner of the square from Algenib is Scheat, a magnitude 2.4 star lying 199 light-years away. The star to the south in the square is Markab, a magnitude 2.5 star at a distance of 140 light-years. And the final star in the square is Alpheratz. Technically, Alpheratz lies just across the border of Pegasus and is actually a member of the constellation Andromeda. Alpheratz is the brightest of the four stars at magnitude 2.1 and lies 97 light-years away.
The Great Square marks the body of the flying horse. Trails leading off the west side of the square mark the front legs and head of Pegasus. Extending out from Markab, two stars at magnitude 3.4 and 3.5, Homam and Biham, lead the way to the head star, magnitude 2.4 star Enif. This star is helpful in finding the globular cluster M15.
Find the forelegs of Pegasus off of Scheat. Five degrees west of Scheat is 3rd magnitude star Matar. As the brightest leg star in Pegasus, it’s helpful in finding a couple of notable galaxies.
Pegasus the Flying Horse is a giant constellation that rises in the east on October evenings. Image via Stellarium. Used with permission.
The asterism of the Great Square
The Great Square of Pegasus can look like a huge diamond. Think of it as a giant baseball diamond rising during playoffs month in the east after dark. Asterisms, such as the Great Square, are groups of stars that aren’t labeled as constellations but are easy to recognize.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Prateek Pandey in Bhopal, India, captured this photo of Pegasus. He wrote: “Pegasus is named after the winged horse in Greek mythology. Curiously, the constellation Pegasus only represents the top half of the horse. In some depictions, the horse is shown rising out of the water. Viewed best in autumn, turn your eyes to the east as the night falls, and see the winged horse rising high up in the sky.” Thank you, Prateek!
Using Pegasus to find the Andromeda Galaxy
Pegasus is close to the constellation Andromeda, so it’s useful for star-hopping to the Andromeda galaxy. You’ll need a dark-sky site to track down Andromeda without optical aid. It’s much easier to spot with binoculars or a telescope. Follow this link for more information on how to use Pegasus to find Andromeda.
Find the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) by star-hopping from the Great Square of Pegasus. Chart via EarthSky.View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, captured Messier 31, the Andromeda galaxy, on October 20, 2025. Andy wrote: “The part that always amazes me about the Andromeda galaxy is that it is close to the same size as the moon when you look at them from Earth. Andromeda is really big. And, at 2.5 million light-years away, it’s the closest large galaxy to us in the universe!” Thank you, Andy!
Stephan’s Quintet
Pegasus is home to many galaxy clusters. The most famous is probably Stephan’s Quintet, a favorite target among astrophotographers. This tight gathering of five galaxies has a faint magnitude of 13.6. The largest and brightest, NGC 7320, has a small redshift compared to the other four, revealing that it is probably not a physical member of the group and just a line-of-sight coincidence.
Fun fact: In the 1946 movie It’s a Wonderful Life, angels in heaven discussing George Bailey are depicted as the galaxies in Stephan’s Quintet.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, captured two galaxy groups, namely Stephan’s Quintet and the Deer Lick Group, both in the constellation Pegasus, on October 27, 2024. Andy wrote: “Over the years I have run into pictures and discussions of these two objects. Both are rather small and close together. Their data and histories are fun too. Both of these would be seen better with a 2,000 mm telescope and my 600 mm telescope with a small format camera takes a pretty good pic. What fun exploring the universe is. I seem to be on a roll lately, lots of clear skies and a motivated photographer.” Thank you, Andy!This image of Stephan’s Quintet is from 2009, courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)/ NASA/ ESA/ and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team.
Other galaxies in Pegasus the Flying Horse
Three other notable galaxy clusters lie in Pegasus. The brightest is magnitude 9.5 and is just half a degree from Stephan’s Quintet. The cluster has the curious name Deer Lick Group. Follow Scheat to Matar and then about 4.5 degrees farther and slightly north of the direction you were heading. This will bring you to the Deer Lick Group, NGC 7331. Here you’ll find one large spiral galaxy and a spattering of smaller ones.
The Pegasus I Cluster lies on the southern edge of the constellation not far from the circlet of Pisces. At a distance of 8 degrees from Markab on the sky’s dome, the Pegasus I Cluster is a grouping with a magnitude of 11.1. The galaxy cluster requires a large telescope to see or a long-exposure photograph, but it reveals a beautiful and striking number of galaxies.
The Pegasus II Cluster lies back within the square of Pegasus. Halfway between Alpheratz and Scheat, it lies just inside the border of a line that would be drawn connecting these two stars. A bit dimmer at magnitude 12.6, the Pegasus II Cluster (NGC 7720) is a powerful radio source, the target of much scientific study.
Globular Cluster M15 in Pegasus the Flying Horse
One other deep-sky object of note in Pegasus is the globular cluster M15. You can find M15 easily using the head and neck stars of Pegasus. Start with the star Markab and go to the two dimmer stars that mark the neck. From the last star of the neck (Biham) to the brighter head star Enif, continue a line straight out for a little more than 4 degrees. Here you will find the magnitude 6.4 globular cluster M15. It lies about 33,600 light-years away and will show up nicely in a pair of binoculars.
You can find the globular cluster M15 in the constellation Pegasus. It shines at magnitude 6.4. Image via Mount Lemmon SkyCenter Schulman Telescope/ Adam Block/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
First exoplanet around a sun-like star
Astronomers discovered the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star in the constellation Pegasus. They named the planet 51 Pegasi b after the star it orbits. Didier Queloz and Michel Mayor discovered the planet in 1995 and received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery in 2019.
Artist’s concept of the hot Jupiter exoplanet 51 Pegasi b. The first planet discovered around a sun-like star, 51 Pegasi b lies about 50 light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus the Flying Horse. Image via ESO/ M. Kornmesser/ Nick Risinger/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).
Bottom line: Pegasus the Flying Horse is a giant constellation that dominates autumn skies in the Northern Hemisphere (spring skies in the Southern Hemisphere). The constellation contains a famous asterism called the Great Square.
Pegasus the Flying Horse rises in the east on autumn evenings in the Northern Hemisphere (spring evenings in the Southern Hemisphere). It dominates the sky with its giant square asterism, fittingly called the Great Square. In mythology, Pegasus figured into the greatest – surely the most elaborate – of all sky myths. This one is from ancient Greece some 3,000 years ago. According to the myth, Pegasus was the flying horse ridden by Perseus the Hero, as he swooped in to save Princess Andromeda from a sea monster. There’s more to the story, which you’ll find in the video at the top of this page.
Today, we see Pegasus as the 7th-largest of the 88 official constellations. And Pegasus is easy to find. On fall evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, this constellation climbs above the eastern horizon, reaching a spot nearly overhead by late fall.
Its asterism – the Great Square of Pegasus – is huge. The square alone is 20 degrees wide from top to bottom. That’s the span of two fist-widths held at arm’s length.
On autumn evenings in the Northern Hemisphere – spring evenings in the Southern Hemisphere – Pegasus the Flying Horse is ascending in the east in the evening hours. You’ll most easily notice the giant, square-shaped asterism within Pegasus, called the Great Square.
Stars of Pegasus
As it rises in the evening, the star in the Great Square closest to the horizon is Algenib, with a magnitude of 2.8. It lies 390 light-years away. The star on the opposite corner of the square from Algenib is Scheat, a magnitude 2.4 star lying 199 light-years away. The star to the south in the square is Markab, a magnitude 2.5 star at a distance of 140 light-years. And the final star in the square is Alpheratz. Technically, Alpheratz lies just across the border of Pegasus and is actually a member of the constellation Andromeda. Alpheratz is the brightest of the four stars at magnitude 2.1 and lies 97 light-years away.
The Great Square marks the body of the flying horse. Trails leading off the west side of the square mark the front legs and head of Pegasus. Extending out from Markab, two stars at magnitude 3.4 and 3.5, Homam and Biham, lead the way to the head star, magnitude 2.4 star Enif. This star is helpful in finding the globular cluster M15.
Find the forelegs of Pegasus off of Scheat. Five degrees west of Scheat is 3rd magnitude star Matar. As the brightest leg star in Pegasus, it’s helpful in finding a couple of notable galaxies.
Pegasus the Flying Horse is a giant constellation that rises in the east on October evenings. Image via Stellarium. Used with permission.
The asterism of the Great Square
The Great Square of Pegasus can look like a huge diamond. Think of it as a giant baseball diamond rising during playoffs month in the east after dark. Asterisms, such as the Great Square, are groups of stars that aren’t labeled as constellations but are easy to recognize.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Prateek Pandey in Bhopal, India, captured this photo of Pegasus. He wrote: “Pegasus is named after the winged horse in Greek mythology. Curiously, the constellation Pegasus only represents the top half of the horse. In some depictions, the horse is shown rising out of the water. Viewed best in autumn, turn your eyes to the east as the night falls, and see the winged horse rising high up in the sky.” Thank you, Prateek!
Using Pegasus to find the Andromeda Galaxy
Pegasus is close to the constellation Andromeda, so it’s useful for star-hopping to the Andromeda galaxy. You’ll need a dark-sky site to track down Andromeda without optical aid. It’s much easier to spot with binoculars or a telescope. Follow this link for more information on how to use Pegasus to find Andromeda.
Find the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) by star-hopping from the Great Square of Pegasus. Chart via EarthSky.View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, captured Messier 31, the Andromeda galaxy, on October 20, 2025. Andy wrote: “The part that always amazes me about the Andromeda galaxy is that it is close to the same size as the moon when you look at them from Earth. Andromeda is really big. And, at 2.5 million light-years away, it’s the closest large galaxy to us in the universe!” Thank you, Andy!
Stephan’s Quintet
Pegasus is home to many galaxy clusters. The most famous is probably Stephan’s Quintet, a favorite target among astrophotographers. This tight gathering of five galaxies has a faint magnitude of 13.6. The largest and brightest, NGC 7320, has a small redshift compared to the other four, revealing that it is probably not a physical member of the group and just a line-of-sight coincidence.
Fun fact: In the 1946 movie It’s a Wonderful Life, angels in heaven discussing George Bailey are depicted as the galaxies in Stephan’s Quintet.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Andy Dungan near Cotopaxi, Colorado, captured two galaxy groups, namely Stephan’s Quintet and the Deer Lick Group, both in the constellation Pegasus, on October 27, 2024. Andy wrote: “Over the years I have run into pictures and discussions of these two objects. Both are rather small and close together. Their data and histories are fun too. Both of these would be seen better with a 2,000 mm telescope and my 600 mm telescope with a small format camera takes a pretty good pic. What fun exploring the universe is. I seem to be on a roll lately, lots of clear skies and a motivated photographer.” Thank you, Andy!This image of Stephan’s Quintet is from 2009, courtesy of the Hubble Space Telescope. Image via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)/ NASA/ ESA/ and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team.
Other galaxies in Pegasus the Flying Horse
Three other notable galaxy clusters lie in Pegasus. The brightest is magnitude 9.5 and is just half a degree from Stephan’s Quintet. The cluster has the curious name Deer Lick Group. Follow Scheat to Matar and then about 4.5 degrees farther and slightly north of the direction you were heading. This will bring you to the Deer Lick Group, NGC 7331. Here you’ll find one large spiral galaxy and a spattering of smaller ones.
The Pegasus I Cluster lies on the southern edge of the constellation not far from the circlet of Pisces. At a distance of 8 degrees from Markab on the sky’s dome, the Pegasus I Cluster is a grouping with a magnitude of 11.1. The galaxy cluster requires a large telescope to see or a long-exposure photograph, but it reveals a beautiful and striking number of galaxies.
The Pegasus II Cluster lies back within the square of Pegasus. Halfway between Alpheratz and Scheat, it lies just inside the border of a line that would be drawn connecting these two stars. A bit dimmer at magnitude 12.6, the Pegasus II Cluster (NGC 7720) is a powerful radio source, the target of much scientific study.
Globular Cluster M15 in Pegasus the Flying Horse
One other deep-sky object of note in Pegasus is the globular cluster M15. You can find M15 easily using the head and neck stars of Pegasus. Start with the star Markab and go to the two dimmer stars that mark the neck. From the last star of the neck (Biham) to the brighter head star Enif, continue a line straight out for a little more than 4 degrees. Here you will find the magnitude 6.4 globular cluster M15. It lies about 33,600 light-years away and will show up nicely in a pair of binoculars.
You can find the globular cluster M15 in the constellation Pegasus. It shines at magnitude 6.4. Image via Mount Lemmon SkyCenter Schulman Telescope/ Adam Block/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
First exoplanet around a sun-like star
Astronomers discovered the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star in the constellation Pegasus. They named the planet 51 Pegasi b after the star it orbits. Didier Queloz and Michel Mayor discovered the planet in 1995 and received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery in 2019.
Artist’s concept of the hot Jupiter exoplanet 51 Pegasi b. The first planet discovered around a sun-like star, 51 Pegasi b lies about 50 light-years from Earth in the constellation Pegasus the Flying Horse. Image via ESO/ M. Kornmesser/ Nick Risinger/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).
Bottom line: Pegasus the Flying Horse is a giant constellation that dominates autumn skies in the Northern Hemisphere (spring skies in the Southern Hemisphere). The constellation contains a famous asterism called the Great Square.
View larger. | Astronomers have created a 3D temperature map of the exoplanet known as WASP-18b. It’s the 1st 3D temperature map ever for any exoplanet. The exoplanet, an ultra-hot Jupiter, is about 400 light-years from Earth. The map reveals hot spots and colder regions on the dayside of the tidally locked planet. Image via NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center.
WASP-18b is a hot Jupiter exoplanet about 400 light-years from Earth. The same side of this scorching-hot planet always faces its star.
Astronomers created a 3D temperature map of WASP-18b. It is the 1st such map of an exoplanet ever achieved. What does it show?
The map reveals distinct variations in temperature and chemical composition of the atmosphere on the side of the planet facing its star.
For the first time, astronomers have created a three-dimensional (3D) temperature map of a distant exoplanet. The planet, WASP-18b, is a scorching ultra-hot Jupiter about 400 light-years away. The researchers, co-led by the University of Maryland in College Park and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, said on October 28, 2025, that the map revealed three distinct temperature zones. This is the first time astronomers have used a technique called 3D eclipse mapping, or spectroscopic eclipse mapping.
The new study uses data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. With the same data, some of the researchers in this study had previously created a 2D map of the same planet in 2023.
WASP-18b has a mass equivalent to 10 Jupiters. Being very close to its star, it completes an orbit in only 23 hours. Consequently, this also means it is extremely hot, with a temperature of almost 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius).
The peer-reviewed results of the new study were published in Nature Astronomy on October 28, 2025.
Mapping a distant exoplanet
Astronomers used an eclipse mapping technique so they could see the exoplanet’s temperatures in 3D. Despite the star and planet’s huge size differences, astronomers can detect tiny changes from the light of a planet as its star starts to pass in front of – or eclipse – the planet. The press release explained:
Scientists can link minute changes in light to an exoplanet’s specific regions to produce a brightness map that, when rendered in multiple colors, can map out temperatures in latitude, longitude and altitude.
This technique is really the only one that can probe all three dimensions at once: latitude, longitude and altitude. This gives us a higher level of detail than we’ve ever had to study these celestial bodies.
A map of the exoplanet’s atmosphere
Since WASP-18b is a gas giant planet, astronomers can only map its outer atmosphere. But the mapping can reveal variations in the clouds and temperature of the atmosphere. Ryan Challener, the other co-lead author at Cornell University, said:
Eclipse mapping allows us to image exoplanets that we can’t see directly, because their host stars are too bright. With this telescope and this new technique, we can start to understand exoplanets along the same lines as our solar system neighbors.
For the previous 2D map, researchers used only one wavelength of light. But the new 3D map uses many different wavelengths. The Webb telescope’s Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) instrument made the observations. Various colors in the map refer to different temperatures and altitudes in the planet’s atmosphere. As Challener explained:
If you build a map at a wavelength that water absorbs, you’ll see the water deck in the atmosphere, whereas a wavelength that water does not absorb will probe deeper. If you put those together, you can get a 3D map of the temperatures in this atmosphere.
Distinct regions in the atmosphere
Overall, the results show that WASP-18b has distinct regions or zones in its atmosphere on the dayside of the planet. WASP-18b is tidally locked to its star. This means that the same side of the planet always faces the star. That’s the planet’s dayside. This is similar to how the same side of the moon always faces Earth. On WASP-18b, the regions vary in both temperature and chemical composition.
Also, in the area where the light from the star most directly hits the planet, there is a “hot spot.” A colder “ring” surrounds the hot spot. The researchers said the hot spot and ring are due to winds not being strong enough to redistribute the heat from the hot spot into the surrounding atmosphere. In addition, there is less water vapor in the hot spot than the average for the planet overall. This is the first time such variations have been mapped on a single exoplanet. Mansfield said:
We’ve seen this happen on a population level, where you can see a cooler planet that has water and then a hotter planet that doesn’t have water. But this is the first time we’ve seen this be broken across one planet instead. It’s one atmosphere, but we see cooler regions that have water and hotter regions where the water’s being broken apart. That had been predicted by theory, but it’s really exciting to actually see this with real observations.
Ryan Challener at Cornell University is the co-lead author of the new study about WASP-18b. Image via Cornell University.Megan Weiner Mansfield at the University of Maryland is the co-lead author of the new study about WASP-18b. Image via GitHub.
Using the 3D temperature map for more hot Jupiters
Now, the researchers want this 3D mapping technique to be extended to other hot Jupiters as well. And indeed, astronomers have already found hundreds of them. It is also hoped that astronomers will be able to produce similar 3D maps of smaller rocky exoplanets, too. That would be exciting, because some of them could be potentially habitable for life. As Mansfield explained:
It’s very exciting to finally have the tools to see and map out the temperatures of a different planet in this much detail. It’s set us up to possibly use the technique on other types of exoplanets. For example, if a planet doesn’t have an atmosphere, we can still use the technique to map the temperature of the surface itself to possibly understand its composition. Although WASP-18b was more predictable, I believe we will have the chance to see things that we could never have expected before.
Last February, another group of astronomers announced the first 3D weather map of an exoplanet, another hot Jupiter called WASP-121b. That one, however, was a weather map, while the new one is the temperature map. The researchers used the ESPRESSO instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile to make the previous weather map.
Bottom line: Astronomers have created the 1st 3D temperature map of a distant exoplanet. The planet, WASP-18b, is a scorching ultra-hot Jupiter 400 light-years away.
View larger. | Astronomers have created a 3D temperature map of the exoplanet known as WASP-18b. It’s the 1st 3D temperature map ever for any exoplanet. The exoplanet, an ultra-hot Jupiter, is about 400 light-years from Earth. The map reveals hot spots and colder regions on the dayside of the tidally locked planet. Image via NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center.
WASP-18b is a hot Jupiter exoplanet about 400 light-years from Earth. The same side of this scorching-hot planet always faces its star.
Astronomers created a 3D temperature map of WASP-18b. It is the 1st such map of an exoplanet ever achieved. What does it show?
The map reveals distinct variations in temperature and chemical composition of the atmosphere on the side of the planet facing its star.
For the first time, astronomers have created a three-dimensional (3D) temperature map of a distant exoplanet. The planet, WASP-18b, is a scorching ultra-hot Jupiter about 400 light-years away. The researchers, co-led by the University of Maryland in College Park and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, said on October 28, 2025, that the map revealed three distinct temperature zones. This is the first time astronomers have used a technique called 3D eclipse mapping, or spectroscopic eclipse mapping.
The new study uses data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. With the same data, some of the researchers in this study had previously created a 2D map of the same planet in 2023.
WASP-18b has a mass equivalent to 10 Jupiters. Being very close to its star, it completes an orbit in only 23 hours. Consequently, this also means it is extremely hot, with a temperature of almost 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius).
The peer-reviewed results of the new study were published in Nature Astronomy on October 28, 2025.
Mapping a distant exoplanet
Astronomers used an eclipse mapping technique so they could see the exoplanet’s temperatures in 3D. Despite the star and planet’s huge size differences, astronomers can detect tiny changes from the light of a planet as its star starts to pass in front of – or eclipse – the planet. The press release explained:
Scientists can link minute changes in light to an exoplanet’s specific regions to produce a brightness map that, when rendered in multiple colors, can map out temperatures in latitude, longitude and altitude.
This technique is really the only one that can probe all three dimensions at once: latitude, longitude and altitude. This gives us a higher level of detail than we’ve ever had to study these celestial bodies.
A map of the exoplanet’s atmosphere
Since WASP-18b is a gas giant planet, astronomers can only map its outer atmosphere. But the mapping can reveal variations in the clouds and temperature of the atmosphere. Ryan Challener, the other co-lead author at Cornell University, said:
Eclipse mapping allows us to image exoplanets that we can’t see directly, because their host stars are too bright. With this telescope and this new technique, we can start to understand exoplanets along the same lines as our solar system neighbors.
For the previous 2D map, researchers used only one wavelength of light. But the new 3D map uses many different wavelengths. The Webb telescope’s Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) instrument made the observations. Various colors in the map refer to different temperatures and altitudes in the planet’s atmosphere. As Challener explained:
If you build a map at a wavelength that water absorbs, you’ll see the water deck in the atmosphere, whereas a wavelength that water does not absorb will probe deeper. If you put those together, you can get a 3D map of the temperatures in this atmosphere.
Distinct regions in the atmosphere
Overall, the results show that WASP-18b has distinct regions or zones in its atmosphere on the dayside of the planet. WASP-18b is tidally locked to its star. This means that the same side of the planet always faces the star. That’s the planet’s dayside. This is similar to how the same side of the moon always faces Earth. On WASP-18b, the regions vary in both temperature and chemical composition.
Also, in the area where the light from the star most directly hits the planet, there is a “hot spot.” A colder “ring” surrounds the hot spot. The researchers said the hot spot and ring are due to winds not being strong enough to redistribute the heat from the hot spot into the surrounding atmosphere. In addition, there is less water vapor in the hot spot than the average for the planet overall. This is the first time such variations have been mapped on a single exoplanet. Mansfield said:
We’ve seen this happen on a population level, where you can see a cooler planet that has water and then a hotter planet that doesn’t have water. But this is the first time we’ve seen this be broken across one planet instead. It’s one atmosphere, but we see cooler regions that have water and hotter regions where the water’s being broken apart. That had been predicted by theory, but it’s really exciting to actually see this with real observations.
Ryan Challener at Cornell University is the co-lead author of the new study about WASP-18b. Image via Cornell University.Megan Weiner Mansfield at the University of Maryland is the co-lead author of the new study about WASP-18b. Image via GitHub.
Using the 3D temperature map for more hot Jupiters
Now, the researchers want this 3D mapping technique to be extended to other hot Jupiters as well. And indeed, astronomers have already found hundreds of them. It is also hoped that astronomers will be able to produce similar 3D maps of smaller rocky exoplanets, too. That would be exciting, because some of them could be potentially habitable for life. As Mansfield explained:
It’s very exciting to finally have the tools to see and map out the temperatures of a different planet in this much detail. It’s set us up to possibly use the technique on other types of exoplanets. For example, if a planet doesn’t have an atmosphere, we can still use the technique to map the temperature of the surface itself to possibly understand its composition. Although WASP-18b was more predictable, I believe we will have the chance to see things that we could never have expected before.
Last February, another group of astronomers announced the first 3D weather map of an exoplanet, another hot Jupiter called WASP-121b. That one, however, was a weather map, while the new one is the temperature map. The researchers used the ESPRESSO instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile to make the previous weather map.
Bottom line: Astronomers have created the 1st 3D temperature map of a distant exoplanet. The planet, WASP-18b, is a scorching ultra-hot Jupiter 400 light-years away.
The recently discovered sea anemone Paracalliactis tsukisome creates a home for hermit crabs. Image via Yoshigawa et al./ Kumamoto University.
Scientists have discovered a new species of sea anemone, Paracalliactis tsukisome, which inhabits the depths of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan. Researchers from Kumamoto University in Japan said on October 22, 2025, that this organism, with a delicate pink hue, possesses an unusual ability. It creates a kind of shell using its own secretions to house hermit crabs, forming a unique symbiotic relationship. The anemone’s name, tsukisome, comes from a word found in Japan’s oldest collection of poems – the Manyoshu – and evokes the idea of sincere and enduring love.
The research team published their study in the peer-reviewed journal Royal Society Open Science on October 22, 2025.
Discovery of the sea anemone Paracalliactis tsukisome
The team, led by Akihiro Yoshikawa of Kumamoto University, together with Takato Izumi of Fukuyama University and Kensuke Yanagi of Chiba Museum of Natural History and Institute, collected specimens at depths of 656 to 1,640 feet (200 to 500 meters) in the Kumano-Nada and Suruga Bay areas.
Unlike common anemones, this species can create a hardened form. The new anemone secretes a substance that can form a shell-like structure, or a carcinoecium. And it’s this structure that can provide a larger living space for a host hermit crab.
Morphological and genetic analyses confirmed that the anemone belongs to the genus Paracalliactis, though it has distinct features that justify its classification as a new species.
Additionally, 3D tomography images revealed the anemone always attaches itself in the same direction on the shell, indicating a certain degree of spatial awareness. And that’s something that’s rare in radially symmetrical animals.
A radial animal (or one with radial symmetry) has a body organized around a central axis, so it can be divided into equal parts, like the slices of a pizza.
The anemone secretes a substance that forms a structure around the shell, expanding and reinforcing the crab’s refuge. Image via Yoshigawa et al.
Mutual benefit in the depths of the ocean
Scientists performed analyses to determine what P. tsukisome eats. They discovered that it partially feeds on the waste and organic remains of its host. In turn, the crabs associated with this anemone species grow larger than crabs that don’t participate in this mutual relationship. This interdependence suggests a long co-evolutionary process in which both species benefit. One gains food and shelter, while the other gains protection and an expanded home.
Hermit crabs living with the new species of anemone reach significantly larger sizes than related species that lack such companionship. This difference suggests their relationship with P. tsukisome provides tangible ecological advantages. The carcinoecium – the structure the anemone builds around the shell – expands and reinforces the crab’s refuge, allowing it to continue using it as it grows.
Normally, hermit crabs must change shells several times during their lives. This exposes them to predators while searching for a new home. But thanks to its collaboration with the anemone, the crab reduces that risk and conserves energy. In turn, that might result in more stable and prolonged growth. Moreover, the anemone serves as a living shield, warding off potential attackers with its stinging tentacles.
This is a symbiotic relationship. The anemone feeds on the crab secretions, and the crab earns a bigger and stronger shell. Plus, the anemone has stinging tentacles to protect its companion from predators. Image via Yoshigawa et al.
Cultural and scientific significance
The name tsukisome, which alludes to the pale pink color of the peach blossom, evokes in ancient poetry a discreet and sincere form of love. The researchers chose this term to reflect the harmony between the anemone and its hermit companion.
This discovery also highlights the biological diversity of Japan’s deep-sea environments, many of which remain unexplored and are threatened by bottom trawling.
The scientists that made the discovery named the anemone tsukisome because it evokes the idea of sincere and enduring love in Japanese. Image via Yoshigawa et al.
Looking ahead
The case of P. tsukisome provides an exceptional opportunity to study how simple organisms can develop spatial orientation and asymmetric structures. These phenomena are uncommon among radially symmetrical animals.
Scientists hope future behavioral experiments in aquariums will shed light on how these anemones decide the direction of their growth.
As it is frequently caught as bycatch, this species could become an accessible research model and an appealing ambassador for deep-sea ecosystems. Its discovery not only expands our understanding of marine evolution, but it also serves as a reminder of the beauty of the bond that unites two lives in the vast ocean.
The scientists found the sea anemone off the coast of Japan, in the Pacific Ocean. Frequently caught as bycatch, this species could serve as an accessible research model and a compelling ambassador for deep-sea ecosystems. Image via Yoshigawa-et-al.
Bottom line: A team of scientists has discovered a sea anemone that secretes a substance that becomes a hardened home for hermit crabs. The animals have a mutually beneficial relationship.
The recently discovered sea anemone Paracalliactis tsukisome creates a home for hermit crabs. Image via Yoshigawa et al./ Kumamoto University.
Scientists have discovered a new species of sea anemone, Paracalliactis tsukisome, which inhabits the depths of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan. Researchers from Kumamoto University in Japan said on October 22, 2025, that this organism, with a delicate pink hue, possesses an unusual ability. It creates a kind of shell using its own secretions to house hermit crabs, forming a unique symbiotic relationship. The anemone’s name, tsukisome, comes from a word found in Japan’s oldest collection of poems – the Manyoshu – and evokes the idea of sincere and enduring love.
The research team published their study in the peer-reviewed journal Royal Society Open Science on October 22, 2025.
Discovery of the sea anemone Paracalliactis tsukisome
The team, led by Akihiro Yoshikawa of Kumamoto University, together with Takato Izumi of Fukuyama University and Kensuke Yanagi of Chiba Museum of Natural History and Institute, collected specimens at depths of 656 to 1,640 feet (200 to 500 meters) in the Kumano-Nada and Suruga Bay areas.
Unlike common anemones, this species can create a hardened form. The new anemone secretes a substance that can form a shell-like structure, or a carcinoecium. And it’s this structure that can provide a larger living space for a host hermit crab.
Morphological and genetic analyses confirmed that the anemone belongs to the genus Paracalliactis, though it has distinct features that justify its classification as a new species.
Additionally, 3D tomography images revealed the anemone always attaches itself in the same direction on the shell, indicating a certain degree of spatial awareness. And that’s something that’s rare in radially symmetrical animals.
A radial animal (or one with radial symmetry) has a body organized around a central axis, so it can be divided into equal parts, like the slices of a pizza.
The anemone secretes a substance that forms a structure around the shell, expanding and reinforcing the crab’s refuge. Image via Yoshigawa et al.
Mutual benefit in the depths of the ocean
Scientists performed analyses to determine what P. tsukisome eats. They discovered that it partially feeds on the waste and organic remains of its host. In turn, the crabs associated with this anemone species grow larger than crabs that don’t participate in this mutual relationship. This interdependence suggests a long co-evolutionary process in which both species benefit. One gains food and shelter, while the other gains protection and an expanded home.
Hermit crabs living with the new species of anemone reach significantly larger sizes than related species that lack such companionship. This difference suggests their relationship with P. tsukisome provides tangible ecological advantages. The carcinoecium – the structure the anemone builds around the shell – expands and reinforces the crab’s refuge, allowing it to continue using it as it grows.
Normally, hermit crabs must change shells several times during their lives. This exposes them to predators while searching for a new home. But thanks to its collaboration with the anemone, the crab reduces that risk and conserves energy. In turn, that might result in more stable and prolonged growth. Moreover, the anemone serves as a living shield, warding off potential attackers with its stinging tentacles.
This is a symbiotic relationship. The anemone feeds on the crab secretions, and the crab earns a bigger and stronger shell. Plus, the anemone has stinging tentacles to protect its companion from predators. Image via Yoshigawa et al.
Cultural and scientific significance
The name tsukisome, which alludes to the pale pink color of the peach blossom, evokes in ancient poetry a discreet and sincere form of love. The researchers chose this term to reflect the harmony between the anemone and its hermit companion.
This discovery also highlights the biological diversity of Japan’s deep-sea environments, many of which remain unexplored and are threatened by bottom trawling.
The scientists that made the discovery named the anemone tsukisome because it evokes the idea of sincere and enduring love in Japanese. Image via Yoshigawa et al.
Looking ahead
The case of P. tsukisome provides an exceptional opportunity to study how simple organisms can develop spatial orientation and asymmetric structures. These phenomena are uncommon among radially symmetrical animals.
Scientists hope future behavioral experiments in aquariums will shed light on how these anemones decide the direction of their growth.
As it is frequently caught as bycatch, this species could become an accessible research model and an appealing ambassador for deep-sea ecosystems. Its discovery not only expands our understanding of marine evolution, but it also serves as a reminder of the beauty of the bond that unites two lives in the vast ocean.
The scientists found the sea anemone off the coast of Japan, in the Pacific Ocean. Frequently caught as bycatch, this species could serve as an accessible research model and a compelling ambassador for deep-sea ecosystems. Image via Yoshigawa-et-al.
Bottom line: A team of scientists has discovered a sea anemone that secretes a substance that becomes a hardened home for hermit crabs. The animals have a mutually beneficial relationship.
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior during a fierce storm 50 years ago, on November 10, 1975. Superior is known as a lake that never gives up her dead, and there’s a scientific reason why.
It was 50 years ago, on November 10, 1975, that the Great Lakes’ most famous shipwreck claimed the lives of 29 men. SS Edmund Fitzgerald was a 729-foot iron ore freighter that sank during a violent storm in Lake Superior. The tragedy was immortalized in the song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot. Today, we still think of Lake Superior as the lake that “never gives up her dead.”
A storm for the ages
The Edmund Fitzgerald sailed out of Superior, Wisconsin, on the afternoon of November 9, 1975. It was carrying 29 crew and more than 26,000 tons of taconite pellets. These balls of iron ore concentrate were bound for a steel mill near Detroit.
On November 9, meteorologists issued a gale warning for Lake Superior. The winds were forecast to reach between 34-47 knots (39 and 54 mph). Then, early morning on November 10, forecasters upgraded the gale warning to a storm warning. Forecasters now called for winds of 48 to 55 knots (55-63 mph) and waves of 8 to 15 feet (2.4 to 4.5 meters). But the storm that hit Lake Superior on the 10th ended up having wind gusts of up to 75 knots (86 mph) and waves up to 35 feet (11 meters).
Ernest McSorley was the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald. On that day, he was radioing with other ships in the area about the storm and the battering his ship was taking. At around 3:30 p.m., the captain radioed another ship, the Arthur M. Anderson, and said:
Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have sustained some topside damage. I have a fence rail laid down, two vents lost or damaged, and a list. I’m checking down. Will you stay by me til I get to Whitefish?
About an hour later, McSorley radioed the captain of the Avafors and reported:
I have a bad list, I have lost both radars, and am taking heavy seas over the deck in one of the worst seas I have ever been in.
The final communication came just after 7 p.m. when McSorley radioed the Anderson and said:
We are holding our own.
Not long after that, the ship disappeared from radar off the coast of Whitefish Point, Michigan.
The shipwreck still lies there today, in two pieces, some 530 feet below the surface. No bodies were ever recovered.
Why Lake Superior never gives up her dead
The first three lines of Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” are:
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake, they called Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
This notion that Lake Superior never gives up her dead is more than just folklore. There’s a scientific reason why the cold lake holds onto its dead.
Lake Superior is the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes. Its temperatures averages below 40°F (4°C) even in summer. In water that cold, the natural processes of decomposition slow down. In warmer water, when someone drowns, the bacteria in their body create gas that causes them to float to the surface. But in the frigid waters of Lake Superior, bacteria aren’t active. So, without those gases, the bodies will remain at the bottom of the lake.
Not the only graveyard at the bottom of the lake
There are some 550 shipwrecks in Lake Superior, and the final resting place of about 200 of them have yet to be discovered. One of those wrecks was SS Kamloops in 1927. Those who went down with the Kamloops are also preserved at the bottom of the cold lake. In 1977, divers discovered the Kamloops off the north shore of Isle Royale. As Geo Rutherford wrote in her book Spooky Lakes:
They looked as fresh as the day they drowned. One crewmate in particular never left his post in the belly of the ship. His corpse, known as ‘Old Whitey,’ floats around the boiler room, where currents from diver’s fins made it seem like the body was following them around the waterlogged space. … The lack of decomposition shocked the divers.
Rutherford explains how bacteria don’t break down in cold water and added:
The cold fresh water can generate a chemical reaction between minerals in the water and human skin that results in a substance called adipocere. The chemical reaction is called ‘saponification,’ which is a process that turns body fat into a soaplike substance … Saponification stops the decay process in its tracks, so a soap mummy can remain intact for potentially hundreds of years …
Bottom line: The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald happened 50 years ago, on November 10, 1975. It rests in Lake Superior, known for never giving up her dead. And there’s a scientific reason why.
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior during a fierce storm 50 years ago, on November 10, 1975. Superior is known as a lake that never gives up her dead, and there’s a scientific reason why.
It was 50 years ago, on November 10, 1975, that the Great Lakes’ most famous shipwreck claimed the lives of 29 men. SS Edmund Fitzgerald was a 729-foot iron ore freighter that sank during a violent storm in Lake Superior. The tragedy was immortalized in the song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot. Today, we still think of Lake Superior as the lake that “never gives up her dead.”
A storm for the ages
The Edmund Fitzgerald sailed out of Superior, Wisconsin, on the afternoon of November 9, 1975. It was carrying 29 crew and more than 26,000 tons of taconite pellets. These balls of iron ore concentrate were bound for a steel mill near Detroit.
On November 9, meteorologists issued a gale warning for Lake Superior. The winds were forecast to reach between 34-47 knots (39 and 54 mph). Then, early morning on November 10, forecasters upgraded the gale warning to a storm warning. Forecasters now called for winds of 48 to 55 knots (55-63 mph) and waves of 8 to 15 feet (2.4 to 4.5 meters). But the storm that hit Lake Superior on the 10th ended up having wind gusts of up to 75 knots (86 mph) and waves up to 35 feet (11 meters).
Ernest McSorley was the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald. On that day, he was radioing with other ships in the area about the storm and the battering his ship was taking. At around 3:30 p.m., the captain radioed another ship, the Arthur M. Anderson, and said:
Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have sustained some topside damage. I have a fence rail laid down, two vents lost or damaged, and a list. I’m checking down. Will you stay by me til I get to Whitefish?
About an hour later, McSorley radioed the captain of the Avafors and reported:
I have a bad list, I have lost both radars, and am taking heavy seas over the deck in one of the worst seas I have ever been in.
The final communication came just after 7 p.m. when McSorley radioed the Anderson and said:
We are holding our own.
Not long after that, the ship disappeared from radar off the coast of Whitefish Point, Michigan.
The shipwreck still lies there today, in two pieces, some 530 feet below the surface. No bodies were ever recovered.
Why Lake Superior never gives up her dead
The first three lines of Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” are:
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake, they called Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
This notion that Lake Superior never gives up her dead is more than just folklore. There’s a scientific reason why the cold lake holds onto its dead.
Lake Superior is the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes. Its temperatures averages below 40°F (4°C) even in summer. In water that cold, the natural processes of decomposition slow down. In warmer water, when someone drowns, the bacteria in their body create gas that causes them to float to the surface. But in the frigid waters of Lake Superior, bacteria aren’t active. So, without those gases, the bodies will remain at the bottom of the lake.
Not the only graveyard at the bottom of the lake
There are some 550 shipwrecks in Lake Superior, and the final resting place of about 200 of them have yet to be discovered. One of those wrecks was SS Kamloops in 1927. Those who went down with the Kamloops are also preserved at the bottom of the cold lake. In 1977, divers discovered the Kamloops off the north shore of Isle Royale. As Geo Rutherford wrote in her book Spooky Lakes:
They looked as fresh as the day they drowned. One crewmate in particular never left his post in the belly of the ship. His corpse, known as ‘Old Whitey,’ floats around the boiler room, where currents from diver’s fins made it seem like the body was following them around the waterlogged space. … The lack of decomposition shocked the divers.
Rutherford explains how bacteria don’t break down in cold water and added:
The cold fresh water can generate a chemical reaction between minerals in the water and human skin that results in a substance called adipocere. The chemical reaction is called ‘saponification,’ which is a process that turns body fat into a soaplike substance … Saponification stops the decay process in its tracks, so a soap mummy can remain intact for potentially hundreds of years …
Bottom line: The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald happened 50 years ago, on November 10, 1975. It rests in Lake Superior, known for never giving up her dead. And there’s a scientific reason why.
This is the Northern Hemisphere’s polar jet stream. It’s a fast-moving belt of westerly winds that traverses the lower layers of the atmosphere, created by the convergence of cold air masses descending from the Arctic and rising warm air from the tropics. In early November 2025, this jet stream is dipping southward, bringing an Arctic air blast – with cold and snow – to much of the U.S. Video via NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio.
An unusually strong polar airmass is moving into the United States. Meteorologist expect it to bring the first real shot of cold air so far this season for many across the country, from the U.S. Midwest out toward the U.S. East, and as far south as Texas. Freeze watches and warnings are in place for Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia as cold air filters in Sunday and Monday, November 9 and 10, 2025. In addition to cold weather, snow and lake effect snow could total up to nearly a foot (.3 meter) for some around the Great Lakes.
Arctic air is spilling south from northern Canada thanks to a dip in the polar jet stream. The jet stream is a band of strong winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere, typically about 30,000 feet (9,000 meters) above the ground. When the jet stream dips south, the cold air spills south.
The jet stream, with this push of cold air, could go as far as the Deep South, which is why the freeze watches and warnings have been issued as far south as they are.
Note: Freeze watches and warnings are issued for agricultural reasons as freezes can kill or damage sensitive crops. Freeze advisories are typically issued in the fall and spring to help farmers and other crop producers protect their plants. Once a hard freeze has occurred, the growing season is considered finished, and freeze watches and warnings typically no longer go out until the following spring.
Freeze watches are alerts for significant, widespread freezing temperatures are expected within the next 24 to 36 hours.
Freeze warnings are for when temperatures are expected to fall below freezing for an extended period of time.
A frosty leaf on a cold morning. Though it’s now early in the season – early November 2025 – freeze watches and warnings are already in place for Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Cold air from an Arctic air blast is filtering deeper into North America Sunday and Monday, November 9 and 10, 2025. Image via photos_by_ginny/ Pexels.
Meanwhile, near the Great Lakes
Forecasts indicate that some communities near the Great Lakes will receive a significant snowfall anywhere from Sunday through Tuesday, depending on location. A “clipper” low pressure system is forecast to move northeast near the Great Lakes, bringing a quick burst of snow. But meteorologists expect lake effect snow to bring more for communities south of Lakes Michigan, Superior and Erie, as well as areas east of Lake Michigan.
Lake effect snow can be tricky to forecast at times, because the bands of snow are typically narrow and dependent on wind direction.
As it stands, the forecast calls for 7-10 inches (18-25 cm) from Chicago through northern Indiana, 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) for western Michigan, and 5-10 inches (13-25 cm) for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan south of Lake Superior. The exceptions are communities southeast of Marquette, Michigan, where 8-19 inches (20-48 cm) are expected.
All of these snowfall totals are through Tuesday night.
Lake effect snow impacts. Image via NWS.Lake effect snow. Image via NWS.Lake effect snow for Chicago. Image via NWS.
What is lake effect snow?
Lake effect snow occurs when cold air moves over warmer water, most often the Great Lakes. As the cold air moves over warm water, the warm water increases the temperature of the air due to something called latent heat release. The warm air then rises and eventually clouds develop. As the clouds continue to develop and precipitation forms, if the air is at or below freezing from the surface up to a few thousand feet up, the precipitation then develops into snow.
Lake effect snow often falls in narrow bands that can drop on average 2-3″ (5-8 cm) of snow per hour. But some lake effect bands can produce more than 3 inches (8 cm) of snow per hour.
The wind direction is crucial for lake effect as a slight shift in wind can shift the band of snow, leading to variability in snowfall totals. But a persistent, prevailing wind also directly plays into why communities under a snow band can easily see inches of snow in a short amount of time.
Time of year also plays an important role in the development of lake effect snow. Late fall and early winter – when lake waters are still relatively warm and not as much ice is covering the water – are more favorable for significant lake effect snow.
Arctic air blast to bring cold nights, chilly afternoons
The Arctic air blast will bring the first real shot of cold temperatures for many across the United States. In fact, some areas have already been feeling the cold this weekend. Temperatures will likely be lowest Sunday night, and then Monday afternoon, although Tuesday morning will also be cold for many. Sunday night could have some in the Northern Plains experiencing temperatures in the teens, while Monday afternoon won’t warm up much with high temperatures for many staying in the 30s Fahrenheit (around 0 Celsius).
By Monday night and Tuesday morning the core of the cold air shifts east and south, with morning temperatures Tuesday falling into the 20s F (a few degrees below 0 C) in some places. The forecast comes from the National Weather Service.
The forecast morning low for Monday, November 10, 2025. Image via NWS.The forecast afternoon high for Monday, November 10, 2025. Image via NWS.The forecast morning low for Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
Bottom line: A dip in the jet stream will bring a significant Arctic air blast across much of the United States, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia on Sunday and Monday. Snow and lake effect snow could total up to nearly a foot (.3 meter) for some around the Great Lakes.
This is the Northern Hemisphere’s polar jet stream. It’s a fast-moving belt of westerly winds that traverses the lower layers of the atmosphere, created by the convergence of cold air masses descending from the Arctic and rising warm air from the tropics. In early November 2025, this jet stream is dipping southward, bringing an Arctic air blast – with cold and snow – to much of the U.S. Video via NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio.
An unusually strong polar airmass is moving into the United States. Meteorologist expect it to bring the first real shot of cold air so far this season for many across the country, from the U.S. Midwest out toward the U.S. East, and as far south as Texas. Freeze watches and warnings are in place for Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia as cold air filters in Sunday and Monday, November 9 and 10, 2025. In addition to cold weather, snow and lake effect snow could total up to nearly a foot (.3 meter) for some around the Great Lakes.
Arctic air is spilling south from northern Canada thanks to a dip in the polar jet stream. The jet stream is a band of strong winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere, typically about 30,000 feet (9,000 meters) above the ground. When the jet stream dips south, the cold air spills south.
The jet stream, with this push of cold air, could go as far as the Deep South, which is why the freeze watches and warnings have been issued as far south as they are.
Note: Freeze watches and warnings are issued for agricultural reasons as freezes can kill or damage sensitive crops. Freeze advisories are typically issued in the fall and spring to help farmers and other crop producers protect their plants. Once a hard freeze has occurred, the growing season is considered finished, and freeze watches and warnings typically no longer go out until the following spring.
Freeze watches are alerts for significant, widespread freezing temperatures are expected within the next 24 to 36 hours.
Freeze warnings are for when temperatures are expected to fall below freezing for an extended period of time.
A frosty leaf on a cold morning. Though it’s now early in the season – early November 2025 – freeze watches and warnings are already in place for Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Cold air from an Arctic air blast is filtering deeper into North America Sunday and Monday, November 9 and 10, 2025. Image via photos_by_ginny/ Pexels.
Meanwhile, near the Great Lakes
Forecasts indicate that some communities near the Great Lakes will receive a significant snowfall anywhere from Sunday through Tuesday, depending on location. A “clipper” low pressure system is forecast to move northeast near the Great Lakes, bringing a quick burst of snow. But meteorologists expect lake effect snow to bring more for communities south of Lakes Michigan, Superior and Erie, as well as areas east of Lake Michigan.
Lake effect snow can be tricky to forecast at times, because the bands of snow are typically narrow and dependent on wind direction.
As it stands, the forecast calls for 7-10 inches (18-25 cm) from Chicago through northern Indiana, 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) for western Michigan, and 5-10 inches (13-25 cm) for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan south of Lake Superior. The exceptions are communities southeast of Marquette, Michigan, where 8-19 inches (20-48 cm) are expected.
All of these snowfall totals are through Tuesday night.
Lake effect snow impacts. Image via NWS.Lake effect snow. Image via NWS.Lake effect snow for Chicago. Image via NWS.
What is lake effect snow?
Lake effect snow occurs when cold air moves over warmer water, most often the Great Lakes. As the cold air moves over warm water, the warm water increases the temperature of the air due to something called latent heat release. The warm air then rises and eventually clouds develop. As the clouds continue to develop and precipitation forms, if the air is at or below freezing from the surface up to a few thousand feet up, the precipitation then develops into snow.
Lake effect snow often falls in narrow bands that can drop on average 2-3″ (5-8 cm) of snow per hour. But some lake effect bands can produce more than 3 inches (8 cm) of snow per hour.
The wind direction is crucial for lake effect as a slight shift in wind can shift the band of snow, leading to variability in snowfall totals. But a persistent, prevailing wind also directly plays into why communities under a snow band can easily see inches of snow in a short amount of time.
Time of year also plays an important role in the development of lake effect snow. Late fall and early winter – when lake waters are still relatively warm and not as much ice is covering the water – are more favorable for significant lake effect snow.
Arctic air blast to bring cold nights, chilly afternoons
The Arctic air blast will bring the first real shot of cold temperatures for many across the United States. In fact, some areas have already been feeling the cold this weekend. Temperatures will likely be lowest Sunday night, and then Monday afternoon, although Tuesday morning will also be cold for many. Sunday night could have some in the Northern Plains experiencing temperatures in the teens, while Monday afternoon won’t warm up much with high temperatures for many staying in the 30s Fahrenheit (around 0 Celsius).
By Monday night and Tuesday morning the core of the cold air shifts east and south, with morning temperatures Tuesday falling into the 20s F (a few degrees below 0 C) in some places. The forecast comes from the National Weather Service.
The forecast morning low for Monday, November 10, 2025. Image via NWS.The forecast afternoon high for Monday, November 10, 2025. Image via NWS.The forecast morning low for Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
Bottom line: A dip in the jet stream will bring a significant Arctic air blast across much of the United States, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia on Sunday and Monday. Snow and lake effect snow could total up to nearly a foot (.3 meter) for some around the Great Lakes.
