A strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in central Myanmar, formerly Burma, earlier today (overnight by clocks in the Americas). In Bangkok, hundreds of miles from the quake’s epicenter, an unfinished high-rise building collapsed with at least 81 construction workers inside (see the video above). Meanwhile, the epicenter was located 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the city of Sagaing in Myanmar, an important religious and monastic center, with numerous Buddhist monasteries. The BBC reports that:
Myanmar has been in political turmoil since a military junta seized power in a 2021 coup. Getting information on the ground is difficult.
But hundreds are feared dead in Myanmar with ‘enormous damage.’
The Irish Mirror reported that, following the collapse of an unfinished building in Bangkok, people “struggled to stand up.” The collapse followed a huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, which happened at 1:20 UTC this morning (8:20 p.m. CDT on March 27), according to USGS.
Bottom line: The strong 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake led to the collapse of an unfinished high-rise building in Bangkok, with at least 70 construction workers inside, earlier today.
A strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck in central Myanmar, formerly Burma, earlier today (overnight by clocks in the Americas). In Bangkok, hundreds of miles from the quake’s epicenter, an unfinished high-rise building collapsed with at least 81 construction workers inside (see the video above). Meanwhile, the epicenter was located 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the city of Sagaing in Myanmar, an important religious and monastic center, with numerous Buddhist monasteries. The BBC reports that:
Myanmar has been in political turmoil since a military junta seized power in a 2021 coup. Getting information on the ground is difficult.
But hundreds are feared dead in Myanmar with ‘enormous damage.’
The Irish Mirror reported that, following the collapse of an unfinished building in Bangkok, people “struggled to stand up.” The collapse followed a huge 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, which happened at 1:20 UTC this morning (8:20 p.m. CDT on March 27), according to USGS.
Bottom line: The strong 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake led to the collapse of an unfinished high-rise building in Bangkok, with at least 70 construction workers inside, earlier today.
Newly described species Tessmannia princeps, a giant tree discovered in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania in Eastern Africa, gets a hug. The new tree towers up to 130 feet (40 meters) above the rainforest canopy and is found in only two small, isolated areas. The trees’ main trunks are about 9 feet (2.7 m) in diameter, with another 10 feet (3 m) of buttresses. Image via Andrea Bianchi/ Phytotaxa.
New tree hidden from science for thousands of years
A team of African and European botanists said on March 20, 2025, that they’ve identified a new species of tree in the East African rainforests of Tanzania. And it is both massive and ancient. The new tree – Tessmannia princeps – is a towering giant that lifts its limbs more than 130 feet (40 meters) above the surrounding jungle canopy. Its enormous trunk spreads almost 20 feet (9 m) in diameter. Some of the 100 or so individual trees discovered so far are ancient and have possibly lived 3,000 years or more.
The team, led by Andrea Bianchi of the Muse Science Museum in Trento, Italy, published its peer-reviewed paper in the journal Phytotaxa on March 20, 2025. In it, the team described the newly identified species. It is a member of the Fabacaea family of plants, making it a relative of beans and peas.
Aloyce Mwakisoma, co-discoverer of Tessmannia princeps, a new tree of the East African rainforest, holds a sprig of the recently described plant. Image via Andrea Bianchi/ Phytotaxa.
Tessmannia princeps had local plant experts stumped
Bianchi and two local plant experts – brothers Aloyce and Ruben Mwakisoma – first encountered T. princeps while doing field research in 2019. They were cataloging plants in two village land forest reserves in the Udzungwa Corridor, a reforestation project area that Bianchi oversees.
The Mwakisoma brothers had never seen the new tree before. To Bianchi’s delight, that meant it was likely to be a new species. The botanist described his excitement to Ryan Truscott of Mongabay:
This was already quite a shiver-down-your-back moment because if they didn’t know (the species), it could have been something interesting.
It was something interesting. In 2019, Tessmannia contained only 13 examples, most of which grow on the other, western side of the African continent. This new tree was unknown to botanical science. And it is found only in the Boma la Mzinga and Uluti Village Land forest reserves. About 100 mature trees live high in a mountainous valley. But they grow nowhere else on Earth.
While this makes T. princeps vulnerable, the region is carefully managed. It is an area filled with similarly unique and isolated species. So the new tree may not be adapted to life outside this tiny ecosystem.
Artist’s rendering of the identifying characteristics of Tessmannia princeps. The new tree was discovered in 2019 and described in a recent paper. A. Mature tree. B. Branchlet and leaves. C. Leaflet adaxial lamina (top) and abaxial lamina (bottom) showing glands. D, E. Flower. F. Diagram of flower. G. Mature pod. H. Valve of pod after seed dispersal. I. Seeds. Image via Laura Tomasi/ Phytotaxa.
New tree is in the bean, pea and legume family
Some of the tallest princeps rival some of the shortest mature giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), which are the world’s most massive trees. The name of the new tree – princeps – means foremost in Latin. Like the sequoia, princeps towers over the canopy of its rainforest home.
Both princeps and sequoias evolved in montane ecosystems, usually growing at high elevation on mountain slopes just below the tree line. The population of princeps grows at 4,250 to 5,000 feet (1,300 to 1,500 m) above sea level.
Its enormous trunk doesn’t branch low to the ground. The mature trees only stretch their limbs sideways high overhead. Gigantic buttressing vine-like limbs surround and support the main trunk. They droop down to the surface from limbs up to 65 feet (20 meters) above.
The new tree’s narrow leaves grow in clusters. This is much like other plants in the Fabaceae family, such as the hundreds of trees and shrubs in the closely related mimosa and acaciagenera. Princeps‘ small, white and densely clustered flowers mature eventually into pods containing bean-like seeds.
Mighty T. princeps grows for millennia at a less-than-glacial pace
Working with a sample from a princeps that had fallen naturally, the botanical researchers tested the wood’s density to measure its age. Bianchi counted 12 to 15 rings in a sample less than 1/2 inch (1 cm) long. He said this means the tree takes more than 30 years to add 1 inch (2.54 cm) in width. By comparison, the average speed of a glacier is 10 inches (25 cm) a year.
Bianchi explained the significance of that measurement to Mongabay:
This would put the age of the bigger trees around 2,000 to 3,000 years.
The remaining examples of T. princeps are lucky to be alive. During the last 120 years, the region surrounding the new tree’s tiny home has been extensively logged. Yet the researchers have not found even isolated examples of princeps in regions with trees that grow alongside princeps elsewhere.
Still, the deforestation of the surrounding region, the researchers noted in their paper, likely wiped out other populations of Tessmannia princeps.
Bottom line: A recently described new tree species discovered in the rainforest of eastern Africa – Tessmannia princeps – is a towering giant that grows up to 130 feet (40 m) tall and 20 feet (6 m) wide.
Newly described species Tessmannia princeps, a giant tree discovered in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania in Eastern Africa, gets a hug. The new tree towers up to 130 feet (40 meters) above the rainforest canopy and is found in only two small, isolated areas. The trees’ main trunks are about 9 feet (2.7 m) in diameter, with another 10 feet (3 m) of buttresses. Image via Andrea Bianchi/ Phytotaxa.
New tree hidden from science for thousands of years
A team of African and European botanists said on March 20, 2025, that they’ve identified a new species of tree in the East African rainforests of Tanzania. And it is both massive and ancient. The new tree – Tessmannia princeps – is a towering giant that lifts its limbs more than 130 feet (40 meters) above the surrounding jungle canopy. Its enormous trunk spreads almost 20 feet (9 m) in diameter. Some of the 100 or so individual trees discovered so far are ancient and have possibly lived 3,000 years or more.
The team, led by Andrea Bianchi of the Muse Science Museum in Trento, Italy, published its peer-reviewed paper in the journal Phytotaxa on March 20, 2025. In it, the team described the newly identified species. It is a member of the Fabacaea family of plants, making it a relative of beans and peas.
Aloyce Mwakisoma, co-discoverer of Tessmannia princeps, a new tree of the East African rainforest, holds a sprig of the recently described plant. Image via Andrea Bianchi/ Phytotaxa.
Tessmannia princeps had local plant experts stumped
Bianchi and two local plant experts – brothers Aloyce and Ruben Mwakisoma – first encountered T. princeps while doing field research in 2019. They were cataloging plants in two village land forest reserves in the Udzungwa Corridor, a reforestation project area that Bianchi oversees.
The Mwakisoma brothers had never seen the new tree before. To Bianchi’s delight, that meant it was likely to be a new species. The botanist described his excitement to Ryan Truscott of Mongabay:
This was already quite a shiver-down-your-back moment because if they didn’t know (the species), it could have been something interesting.
It was something interesting. In 2019, Tessmannia contained only 13 examples, most of which grow on the other, western side of the African continent. This new tree was unknown to botanical science. And it is found only in the Boma la Mzinga and Uluti Village Land forest reserves. About 100 mature trees live high in a mountainous valley. But they grow nowhere else on Earth.
While this makes T. princeps vulnerable, the region is carefully managed. It is an area filled with similarly unique and isolated species. So the new tree may not be adapted to life outside this tiny ecosystem.
Artist’s rendering of the identifying characteristics of Tessmannia princeps. The new tree was discovered in 2019 and described in a recent paper. A. Mature tree. B. Branchlet and leaves. C. Leaflet adaxial lamina (top) and abaxial lamina (bottom) showing glands. D, E. Flower. F. Diagram of flower. G. Mature pod. H. Valve of pod after seed dispersal. I. Seeds. Image via Laura Tomasi/ Phytotaxa.
New tree is in the bean, pea and legume family
Some of the tallest princeps rival some of the shortest mature giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), which are the world’s most massive trees. The name of the new tree – princeps – means foremost in Latin. Like the sequoia, princeps towers over the canopy of its rainforest home.
Both princeps and sequoias evolved in montane ecosystems, usually growing at high elevation on mountain slopes just below the tree line. The population of princeps grows at 4,250 to 5,000 feet (1,300 to 1,500 m) above sea level.
Its enormous trunk doesn’t branch low to the ground. The mature trees only stretch their limbs sideways high overhead. Gigantic buttressing vine-like limbs surround and support the main trunk. They droop down to the surface from limbs up to 65 feet (20 meters) above.
The new tree’s narrow leaves grow in clusters. This is much like other plants in the Fabaceae family, such as the hundreds of trees and shrubs in the closely related mimosa and acaciagenera. Princeps‘ small, white and densely clustered flowers mature eventually into pods containing bean-like seeds.
Mighty T. princeps grows for millennia at a less-than-glacial pace
Working with a sample from a princeps that had fallen naturally, the botanical researchers tested the wood’s density to measure its age. Bianchi counted 12 to 15 rings in a sample less than 1/2 inch (1 cm) long. He said this means the tree takes more than 30 years to add 1 inch (2.54 cm) in width. By comparison, the average speed of a glacier is 10 inches (25 cm) a year.
Bianchi explained the significance of that measurement to Mongabay:
This would put the age of the bigger trees around 2,000 to 3,000 years.
The remaining examples of T. princeps are lucky to be alive. During the last 120 years, the region surrounding the new tree’s tiny home has been extensively logged. Yet the researchers have not found even isolated examples of princeps in regions with trees that grow alongside princeps elsewhere.
Still, the deforestation of the surrounding region, the researchers noted in their paper, likely wiped out other populations of Tessmannia princeps.
Bottom line: A recently described new tree species discovered in the rainforest of eastern Africa – Tessmannia princeps – is a towering giant that grows up to 130 feet (40 m) tall and 20 feet (6 m) wide.
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured this outstanding image of an Einstein ring. In this case, a foreground elliptical galaxy (bright, fuzzy object at center) is acting as a gravitational lens, which bends the light to reveal the background spiral galaxy. The spiral galaxy appears as an Einstein ring around the elliptical. Image via ESA/ Webb/ NASA/ CSA/ G. Mahler.
Webb images an outstanding Einstein ring
The James Webb Space Telescope imaged an unusual galaxy that appears to be sporting the spiral arms of a more distant galaxy. On March 27, 2025, ESA shared this image of an Einstein ring, a rare event when one galaxy is perfectly positioned in front of a more distant galaxy. The massive foreground galaxy acts as a gravitational lens, bending the light of the more distant galaxy. In this case, we see an elliptical galaxy at center with the spiral galaxy wrapped around it in an Einstein ring.
As ESA explained, Einstein rings are possible because:
spacetime, the fabric of the universe itself, is bent by mass, and therefore light traveling through space and time is bent as well. This effect is much too subtle to be observed on a local level, but it sometimes becomes clearly observable when dealing with curvatures of light on enormous, astronomical scales, such as when the light from one galaxy is bent around another galaxy or galaxy cluster. When the lensed object and the lensing object line up just so, the result is the distinctive Einstein ring shape, which appears as a full circle (as seen here) or a partial circle of light around the lensing object, depending on the precision of the alignment.
The galaxies in the image
The galaxy at the center is the one that is closest to us. This is an elliptical galaxy with a bright core and fuzzy, diffuse body. Astronomers dubbed it SMACSJ0028.2-7537.
Meanwhile, the rings are part of a more distant spiral galaxy. The light from this galaxy gets warped as it passes the massive foreground galaxy. Even so, this unique Einstein ring still allows us to make out star cluster and gas lanes.
Bottom line: The Webb space telescope captured this unusual image of two galaxies. The closer, elliptical galaxy acts as a gravitational lens, warping the light from a spiral galaxy behind it and allowing us to see it in the form of an Einstein ring.
The James Webb Space Telescope has captured this outstanding image of an Einstein ring. In this case, a foreground elliptical galaxy (bright, fuzzy object at center) is acting as a gravitational lens, which bends the light to reveal the background spiral galaxy. The spiral galaxy appears as an Einstein ring around the elliptical. Image via ESA/ Webb/ NASA/ CSA/ G. Mahler.
Webb images an outstanding Einstein ring
The James Webb Space Telescope imaged an unusual galaxy that appears to be sporting the spiral arms of a more distant galaxy. On March 27, 2025, ESA shared this image of an Einstein ring, a rare event when one galaxy is perfectly positioned in front of a more distant galaxy. The massive foreground galaxy acts as a gravitational lens, bending the light of the more distant galaxy. In this case, we see an elliptical galaxy at center with the spiral galaxy wrapped around it in an Einstein ring.
As ESA explained, Einstein rings are possible because:
spacetime, the fabric of the universe itself, is bent by mass, and therefore light traveling through space and time is bent as well. This effect is much too subtle to be observed on a local level, but it sometimes becomes clearly observable when dealing with curvatures of light on enormous, astronomical scales, such as when the light from one galaxy is bent around another galaxy or galaxy cluster. When the lensed object and the lensing object line up just so, the result is the distinctive Einstein ring shape, which appears as a full circle (as seen here) or a partial circle of light around the lensing object, depending on the precision of the alignment.
The galaxies in the image
The galaxy at the center is the one that is closest to us. This is an elliptical galaxy with a bright core and fuzzy, diffuse body. Astronomers dubbed it SMACSJ0028.2-7537.
Meanwhile, the rings are part of a more distant spiral galaxy. The light from this galaxy gets warped as it passes the massive foreground galaxy. Even so, this unique Einstein ring still allows us to make out star cluster and gas lanes.
Bottom line: The Webb space telescope captured this unusual image of two galaxies. The closer, elliptical galaxy acts as a gravitational lens, warping the light from a spiral galaxy behind it and allowing us to see it in the form of an Einstein ring.
On March 27, 2025, ESA powered down the Gaia spacecraft after 12 years of operations. But the good news is that there’s still a mountain of data from Gaia ripe for analysis. Gaia project scientist Johannes Sahlmann said:
Gaia’s extensive data releases are a unique treasure trove for astrophysical research, and influence almost all disciplines in astronomy.
In fact, the 4th data release from Gaia isn’t until 2026, with the final data release around 2030.
Gaia underwent testing in January, which temporarily made it brighter in the sky. Normally, Gaia has been a very faint magnitude 21 as it orbits the sun out at Lagrange Point 2. But for a couple months it brightened within reach of a large telescope. And in the video above, you can see its last appearance courtesy of Zhuo-Xiao Wang.
Best animation of our Milky Way galaxy
The European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft launched in 2013 and spent more than a decade measuring and mapping our home galaxy, the Milky Way. ESA ended its operations in January 2025. Scientists released a short animation giving a quick overview of a few of the new insights Gaia helped make possible. Gaia data was used to put together this animation of our galaxy. ESA said on January 15:
Gaia has changed our impression of the Milky Way. Even seemingly simple ideas about the nature of our galaxy’s central bar and the spiral arms have been overturned. Gaia has shown us that it has more than two spiral arms and that they are less prominent than we previously thought. In addition, Gaia has shown that its central bar is more inclined with respect to the sun.
No spacecraft can travel beyond our galaxy, so we can’t take a selfie, but Gaia is giving us the best insight yet of what our home galaxy looks like. Once all of Gaia’s observations collected over the past decade are made available in two upcoming data releases, we can expect an even sharper view of the Milky Way.
The goal of Gaia was to make a precise 3D map of the Milky Way. Over the past decade, it has tracked and measured the motions, luminosity, temperature and composition of nearly 2 billion objects.
Gaia’s mission was designed to last for five years. Like many space missions, it went longer. Gaia arrived in 2014 at Lagrange Point 2, or L2, in the Earth-sun system. Lagrangian points are places in a system where a craft can remain stable without using too much of its fuel for propulsion.
But, ESA said, Gaia did eventually run low on fuel. The cold gas propellant that keeps the mission working is nearly gone. While Gaia has now ceased taking measurements of our galaxy, the data releases from the project will continue for some years. Gaia’s first three data releases so far came in 2016, 2018 and 2022. The 4th data release should be ready in 2026. And the 5th and final data release covering all 10 1/2 years of data will be around the end of the decade. The massive amounts of data take a long time to process!
What will happen to Gaia next?
Gaia will not float around at the Lagrange Point 2 forever. Engineers have planned to remove Gaia from its current orbit. ESA said:
Gaia will be inserted into an orbit that makes sure it does not come too close to the Earth-moon system in the near future. The Gaia spacecraft will be fully passivated when it moves to its final orbit, to avoid any harm or interference with other spacecraft.
Artist’s concept of ESA’s Gaia spacecraft mapping the stars of the Milky Way. Gaia’s observations came to an end on January 15, 2025. Image via ESA/ ATG medialab. Background ESO/ S. Brunier.
What has Gaia already shown us?
Astronomers have used the data from Gaia to make all sorts of new discoveries about our galaxy. Here are some highlights:
Also, Gaia has made discoveries outside the Milky Way, including spotting stars flying between galaxies and the discovery of an enormous ghost galaxy on the Milky Way’s outskirts.
Bottom line: ESA has now switched off the Gaia spacecraft, sending it into retirement on March 27, 2025. Gaia measured some 2 billion Milky Way objects and astronomers will still be processing data from it for years to come.
On March 27, 2025, ESA powered down the Gaia spacecraft after 12 years of operations. But the good news is that there’s still a mountain of data from Gaia ripe for analysis. Gaia project scientist Johannes Sahlmann said:
Gaia’s extensive data releases are a unique treasure trove for astrophysical research, and influence almost all disciplines in astronomy.
In fact, the 4th data release from Gaia isn’t until 2026, with the final data release around 2030.
Gaia underwent testing in January, which temporarily made it brighter in the sky. Normally, Gaia has been a very faint magnitude 21 as it orbits the sun out at Lagrange Point 2. But for a couple months it brightened within reach of a large telescope. And in the video above, you can see its last appearance courtesy of Zhuo-Xiao Wang.
Best animation of our Milky Way galaxy
The European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft launched in 2013 and spent more than a decade measuring and mapping our home galaxy, the Milky Way. ESA ended its operations in January 2025. Scientists released a short animation giving a quick overview of a few of the new insights Gaia helped make possible. Gaia data was used to put together this animation of our galaxy. ESA said on January 15:
Gaia has changed our impression of the Milky Way. Even seemingly simple ideas about the nature of our galaxy’s central bar and the spiral arms have been overturned. Gaia has shown us that it has more than two spiral arms and that they are less prominent than we previously thought. In addition, Gaia has shown that its central bar is more inclined with respect to the sun.
No spacecraft can travel beyond our galaxy, so we can’t take a selfie, but Gaia is giving us the best insight yet of what our home galaxy looks like. Once all of Gaia’s observations collected over the past decade are made available in two upcoming data releases, we can expect an even sharper view of the Milky Way.
The goal of Gaia was to make a precise 3D map of the Milky Way. Over the past decade, it has tracked and measured the motions, luminosity, temperature and composition of nearly 2 billion objects.
Gaia’s mission was designed to last for five years. Like many space missions, it went longer. Gaia arrived in 2014 at Lagrange Point 2, or L2, in the Earth-sun system. Lagrangian points are places in a system where a craft can remain stable without using too much of its fuel for propulsion.
But, ESA said, Gaia did eventually run low on fuel. The cold gas propellant that keeps the mission working is nearly gone. While Gaia has now ceased taking measurements of our galaxy, the data releases from the project will continue for some years. Gaia’s first three data releases so far came in 2016, 2018 and 2022. The 4th data release should be ready in 2026. And the 5th and final data release covering all 10 1/2 years of data will be around the end of the decade. The massive amounts of data take a long time to process!
What will happen to Gaia next?
Gaia will not float around at the Lagrange Point 2 forever. Engineers have planned to remove Gaia from its current orbit. ESA said:
Gaia will be inserted into an orbit that makes sure it does not come too close to the Earth-moon system in the near future. The Gaia spacecraft will be fully passivated when it moves to its final orbit, to avoid any harm or interference with other spacecraft.
Artist’s concept of ESA’s Gaia spacecraft mapping the stars of the Milky Way. Gaia’s observations came to an end on January 15, 2025. Image via ESA/ ATG medialab. Background ESO/ S. Brunier.
What has Gaia already shown us?
Astronomers have used the data from Gaia to make all sorts of new discoveries about our galaxy. Here are some highlights:
Also, Gaia has made discoveries outside the Milky Way, including spotting stars flying between galaxies and the discovery of an enormous ghost galaxy on the Milky Way’s outskirts.
Bottom line: ESA has now switched off the Gaia spacecraft, sending it into retirement on March 27, 2025. Gaia measured some 2 billion Milky Way objects and astronomers will still be processing data from it for years to come.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has found the largest organic molecules on Mars we’ve yet seen. They seem to be the remains of fatty acids. Video via NASA Goddard.
Did life ever exist on Mars? Rovers have found various types of organic molecules, but whether any of them relate to ancient life remains unknown.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has now discovered the largest known organic molecules to date. They are three kinds of long-chained carbon molecules that scientists say are the remains of fatty acids. Fatty acids are common in life on Earth, but can also form without life.
The complex carbon molecules are in mudstone rocks that used to be at the bottom of an ancient lake. Scientists don’t yet know how they formed, but they are certainly tantalizing.
Surprisingly large organic molecules on Mars
The prospects for ancient life on Mars might have just received a big boost. NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered the largest organic molecules so far on the red planet. NASA said on March 24, 2025, that the molecules – thought to be fatty acids – contain chains of up to 12 carbon atoms. That’s significantly more complex than organic compounds previously found on Mars. On Earth, fatty acids help form cell membranes and assist with other biological functions. But non-biological processes can form them as well. So the discovery is tantalizing, although not yet proof of life.
The international team of researchers published their peer-reviewed finding in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on March 24, 2025.
Curiosity found the molecules with its Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) mini-lab onboard the rover. The molecules were in a sample of mudstone – a fine-grained sedimentary rock – nicknamed Cumberland, in a region called Yellowknife Bay. The rover first studied and drilled into Cumberland back in 2013. Yellowknife Bay seemed intriguing according to data from orbiters. And it’s in Gale crater, which used to be an ancient lake a few billion years ago.
Cumberland turned out to be a goldmine for scientists. Curiosity found it to be rich in clay minerals, sulfur and nitrates. Sulfur is ideal for preserving organic molecules. And both plant and animal life on Earth use nitrates.
Curiosity found the molecules inadvertently while doing other analysis work on the sample. The rover was looking for evidence of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. It didn’t find any – but – it did find decane, undecane and dodecane, which are long-chain alkane molecules. The mission scientists thought they might have broken off larger molecules during the heating process in SAM.
The findings show that rovers can find evidence of past life on Mars. Caroline Freissinet, the lead study author and research scientist at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Guyancourt, France, said:
Our study proves that, even today, by analyzing Mars samples we could detect chemical signatures of past life, if it ever existed on Mars.
View larger. | Graphic depicting the long-chain organic molecules decane, undecane and dodecane. Curiosity mission scientists think they are the remains of complex fatty acid molecules. Image via NASA/ Dan Gallagher.
Remains of fatty acids?
The discovery excited scientists, because the decane, undecane and dodecane could be the remains of fatty acids. Fatty acids are another building block of life. They help form cell membranes and perform other biological functions as well. More specifically, the scientists thought the three molecules could be the remnants of the fatty acids called undecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid and tridecanoic acid, respectively.
To find out, the researchers needed to do some testing in the lab back on Earth. They mixed undecanoic acid into a Mars-like clay and conducted a SAM-like experiment on the sample. And, sure enough, after heating it the same way as in SAM on Mars, the undecanoic acid released decane, as they predicted. The researchers then referenced experiments already published by other scientists to show that the undecane could have broken off from dodecanoic acid and dodecane from tridecanoic acid.
Monica Grady, a planetary scientist at the Open University in the U.K., toldScience:
This is an amazing result. If these are breakdown products from carboxylic acids, then we are seeing something very exciting indeed.
Caroline Freissinet at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France is the lead author of the new study. Image via CNRS/ Women & Sciences/ Vincent Moncorgé.
Evidence of Martian life?
While the discovery of these molecules is exciting, scientists don’t know its specific source. They could be the remains of once-living cells, or they might have formed without life. Curiosity is limited in being able to determine which is the case. There might be even longer carbon chains in Cumberland, but the rover’s instruments aren’t ideal for findings them.
There is an interesting detail, however, that might suggest a biological origin. The “backbone” each of the three fatty acids – decane, undecane and dodecane – is a long straight chain of 11 to 13 carbon atoms. On Earth at least, non-biological fatty acids tend to have shorter chains of less than 12 carbon atoms.
Also, on Earth, fatty acids from living things tend to be even-numbered in terms of their carbon atoms. Interestingly, the undecane molecule would have originated from an even-numbered fatty acid, and it is slightly more abundant than the others in the Cumberland sample.
The fact that Gale crater used to be an ancient lake makes the findings all the more fascinating. Co-author Daniel Glavin at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said:
There is evidence that liquid water existed in Gale crater for millions of years and probably much longer, which means there was enough time for life-forming chemistry to happen in these crater-lake environments on Mars.
As to the search for complex organics like fatty acids, Glavin toldScience:
It’s been a long journey to this point. This is really searching for a needle in a haystack. There’s no question about it. We have three needles.
View larger. | The Curiosity rover made this drill hole in the Cumberland mudstone on May 19, 2013. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ MSSS.
The limits of Curiosity’s lab analysis
In order to definitively determine the origin of the molecules, the samples would ideally need to be brought back to Earth. Scientists can only use Curiosity itself to analyze these particular samples. And its onboard lab, while powerful, has its limits for detecting the biological origins of molecules.
There might be a way around that, however. When Curiosity obtained the samples back in 2013, it collected two “doggie bags.” But the rover has only used one of them so far. Mission scientists think they might be able to tweak the onboard lab to search for a wider range of alkanes. That would help them better determine the ratio of even to uneven carbon atoms.
There are also plans for a future mission – Mars Sample Return – to bring back samples that the Perseverance rover has obtained. Some of those also show tantalizing hints of possible ancient microbial life. Glavin said:
We are ready to take the next big step and bring Mars samples home to our labs to settle the debate about life on Mars.
Bottom line: NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered the most complex organic molecules ever seen on Mars, the remains of fatty acids up to an incredible 12 carbon atoms long.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has found the largest organic molecules on Mars we’ve yet seen. They seem to be the remains of fatty acids. Video via NASA Goddard.
Did life ever exist on Mars? Rovers have found various types of organic molecules, but whether any of them relate to ancient life remains unknown.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has now discovered the largest known organic molecules to date. They are three kinds of long-chained carbon molecules that scientists say are the remains of fatty acids. Fatty acids are common in life on Earth, but can also form without life.
The complex carbon molecules are in mudstone rocks that used to be at the bottom of an ancient lake. Scientists don’t yet know how they formed, but they are certainly tantalizing.
Surprisingly large organic molecules on Mars
The prospects for ancient life on Mars might have just received a big boost. NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered the largest organic molecules so far on the red planet. NASA said on March 24, 2025, that the molecules – thought to be fatty acids – contain chains of up to 12 carbon atoms. That’s significantly more complex than organic compounds previously found on Mars. On Earth, fatty acids help form cell membranes and assist with other biological functions. But non-biological processes can form them as well. So the discovery is tantalizing, although not yet proof of life.
The international team of researchers published their peer-reviewed finding in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on March 24, 2025.
Curiosity found the molecules with its Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) mini-lab onboard the rover. The molecules were in a sample of mudstone – a fine-grained sedimentary rock – nicknamed Cumberland, in a region called Yellowknife Bay. The rover first studied and drilled into Cumberland back in 2013. Yellowknife Bay seemed intriguing according to data from orbiters. And it’s in Gale crater, which used to be an ancient lake a few billion years ago.
Cumberland turned out to be a goldmine for scientists. Curiosity found it to be rich in clay minerals, sulfur and nitrates. Sulfur is ideal for preserving organic molecules. And both plant and animal life on Earth use nitrates.
Curiosity found the molecules inadvertently while doing other analysis work on the sample. The rover was looking for evidence of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. It didn’t find any – but – it did find decane, undecane and dodecane, which are long-chain alkane molecules. The mission scientists thought they might have broken off larger molecules during the heating process in SAM.
The findings show that rovers can find evidence of past life on Mars. Caroline Freissinet, the lead study author and research scientist at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Guyancourt, France, said:
Our study proves that, even today, by analyzing Mars samples we could detect chemical signatures of past life, if it ever existed on Mars.
View larger. | Graphic depicting the long-chain organic molecules decane, undecane and dodecane. Curiosity mission scientists think they are the remains of complex fatty acid molecules. Image via NASA/ Dan Gallagher.
Remains of fatty acids?
The discovery excited scientists, because the decane, undecane and dodecane could be the remains of fatty acids. Fatty acids are another building block of life. They help form cell membranes and perform other biological functions as well. More specifically, the scientists thought the three molecules could be the remnants of the fatty acids called undecanoic acid, dodecanoic acid and tridecanoic acid, respectively.
To find out, the researchers needed to do some testing in the lab back on Earth. They mixed undecanoic acid into a Mars-like clay and conducted a SAM-like experiment on the sample. And, sure enough, after heating it the same way as in SAM on Mars, the undecanoic acid released decane, as they predicted. The researchers then referenced experiments already published by other scientists to show that the undecane could have broken off from dodecanoic acid and dodecane from tridecanoic acid.
Monica Grady, a planetary scientist at the Open University in the U.K., toldScience:
This is an amazing result. If these are breakdown products from carboxylic acids, then we are seeing something very exciting indeed.
Caroline Freissinet at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France is the lead author of the new study. Image via CNRS/ Women & Sciences/ Vincent Moncorgé.
Evidence of Martian life?
While the discovery of these molecules is exciting, scientists don’t know its specific source. They could be the remains of once-living cells, or they might have formed without life. Curiosity is limited in being able to determine which is the case. There might be even longer carbon chains in Cumberland, but the rover’s instruments aren’t ideal for findings them.
There is an interesting detail, however, that might suggest a biological origin. The “backbone” each of the three fatty acids – decane, undecane and dodecane – is a long straight chain of 11 to 13 carbon atoms. On Earth at least, non-biological fatty acids tend to have shorter chains of less than 12 carbon atoms.
Also, on Earth, fatty acids from living things tend to be even-numbered in terms of their carbon atoms. Interestingly, the undecane molecule would have originated from an even-numbered fatty acid, and it is slightly more abundant than the others in the Cumberland sample.
The fact that Gale crater used to be an ancient lake makes the findings all the more fascinating. Co-author Daniel Glavin at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said:
There is evidence that liquid water existed in Gale crater for millions of years and probably much longer, which means there was enough time for life-forming chemistry to happen in these crater-lake environments on Mars.
As to the search for complex organics like fatty acids, Glavin toldScience:
It’s been a long journey to this point. This is really searching for a needle in a haystack. There’s no question about it. We have three needles.
View larger. | The Curiosity rover made this drill hole in the Cumberland mudstone on May 19, 2013. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ MSSS.
The limits of Curiosity’s lab analysis
In order to definitively determine the origin of the molecules, the samples would ideally need to be brought back to Earth. Scientists can only use Curiosity itself to analyze these particular samples. And its onboard lab, while powerful, has its limits for detecting the biological origins of molecules.
There might be a way around that, however. When Curiosity obtained the samples back in 2013, it collected two “doggie bags.” But the rover has only used one of them so far. Mission scientists think they might be able to tweak the onboard lab to search for a wider range of alkanes. That would help them better determine the ratio of even to uneven carbon atoms.
There are also plans for a future mission – Mars Sample Return – to bring back samples that the Perseverance rover has obtained. Some of those also show tantalizing hints of possible ancient microbial life. Glavin said:
We are ready to take the next big step and bring Mars samples home to our labs to settle the debate about life on Mars.
Bottom line: NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered the most complex organic molecules ever seen on Mars, the remains of fatty acids up to an incredible 12 carbon atoms long.
View larger. | Artist’s concept of the Wolf-Rayet 104 pinwheel star system. A new study confirms 2 massive stars are orbiting each other, producing a giant spiral composed of hydrocarbon dust. The study also shows the poles of the stars are not oriented directly toward us as 1st thought, so there is little to no danger of a gamma-ray burst from them hitting Earth, if one of the stars explodes in a supernova. Image via W. M. Keck Observatory/ Adam Makarenko.
Wolf-Rayet 104 is a star system where two massive stars orbit each other. A huge spiral of dust circles around the stars, making it a rare pinwheel star system.
The pinwheel faces right toward us, so astronomers thought the poles of the stars did also. This could present a danger to Earth. Why? If one of the stars exploded in a supernova, it could send a powerful gamma-ray burst directly toward our solar system.
But that isn’t likely to happen, new research from the Keck Observatory shows. The stars’ poles are tilted so much that any gamma-ray burst coming from them would miss us.
Meet Wolf-Rayet 104, the ‘pinwheel death star’
Wolf-Rayet 104 is a famous, rare type of star system known as a pinwheel star. Discovered in 1999, astronomers suspected it consists of two massive stars orbiting each other. As the stars orbit, their stellar winds collide, producing huge amounts of dust. The dust rotates in a giant pinwheel shape. Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii said on March 18, 2025, that they have now confirmed the pair of stars. In addition, they also determined there is little to no danger of Wolf-Rayet 104 emitting a dangerous gamma-ray burst directly toward Earth, as astronomers had previously thought could happen. So the pinwheel death star will seemingly spare us from extinction. Phew!
Astronomer Grant Hill at the Keck Observatory is the author of the latest peer-reviewed research paper. He originally published it in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on September 19, 2024. Keck issued the new press release on March 18, 2025.
Astronomers discovered Wolf-Rayet 104 back in 1999. It is a rare pinwheel star system due to the huge spiral formation of dust circling a pair of stars. Scientists now suspect it’s actually a triple system, with a third much more distant star connected by gravity. But the pinwheel effect is created by the two main stars. The first of the two is a Wolf-Rayet star. Those stars are hot, bright and massive. Its stellar wind, similar to our sun’s solar wind, is rich in carbon. The other star, an OB star, is even more massive, and its solar wind is mostly hydrogen.
The stellar winds are huge streams of charged particles, or plasmas, flowing out from each star. As the two stars orbit each other, their stellar winds collide, forming hydrocarbon dust. That dust rotates in a giant pinwheel shape around the stars, and it glows brightly in infrared.
Is Wolf-Rayet 104 a pinwheel death star?
As it happens, Wolf-Rayet 104’s orientation is such that the pinwheel looks face-on to us. That adds to its beauty, but it also concerned astronomers. Why? It meant the rotational poles of the two stars might be aimed right toward us. Astronomers expect that one or both of the stars will likely explode in a supernova at some point in the future. That explosion could be powerful enough to produce a gamma-ray burst (GRB). And if that pole on the star was indeed oriented toward us, then the gamma-ray burst would come right toward our solar system, endangering life on Earth.
But based on the new study, however, it appears that’s not be the case. Hill explained:
Our view of the pinwheel dust spiral from Earth absolutely looks face-on (spinning in the plane of the sky), and it seemed like a pretty safe assumption that the two stars are orbiting the same way. When I started this project, I thought the main focus would be the colliding winds and a face-on orbit was a given. Instead, I found something very unexpected. The orbit is tilted at least 30 or 40 degrees out of the plane of the sky.
Another surprising mystery
That 30 to 40 degrees is a healthy margin, meaning any gamma-ray burst would most likely miss us. But why is the dust spiral so tilted relative to the orbits of the stars? That is another mystery researchers will now have to solve. As Hill surmised:
This is such a great example of how, with astronomy, we often begin a study and the universe surprises us with mysteries we didn’t expect. We may answer some questions but create more. In the end, that is sometimes how we learn more about physics and the universe we live in. In this case, WR 104 is not done surprising us yet!
Bottom line: A new study from the Keck Observatory confirms two massive stars in the pinwheel death star won’t send a gamma-ray burst toward Earth after all.
View larger. | Artist’s concept of the Wolf-Rayet 104 pinwheel star system. A new study confirms 2 massive stars are orbiting each other, producing a giant spiral composed of hydrocarbon dust. The study also shows the poles of the stars are not oriented directly toward us as 1st thought, so there is little to no danger of a gamma-ray burst from them hitting Earth, if one of the stars explodes in a supernova. Image via W. M. Keck Observatory/ Adam Makarenko.
Wolf-Rayet 104 is a star system where two massive stars orbit each other. A huge spiral of dust circles around the stars, making it a rare pinwheel star system.
The pinwheel faces right toward us, so astronomers thought the poles of the stars did also. This could present a danger to Earth. Why? If one of the stars exploded in a supernova, it could send a powerful gamma-ray burst directly toward our solar system.
But that isn’t likely to happen, new research from the Keck Observatory shows. The stars’ poles are tilted so much that any gamma-ray burst coming from them would miss us.
Meet Wolf-Rayet 104, the ‘pinwheel death star’
Wolf-Rayet 104 is a famous, rare type of star system known as a pinwheel star. Discovered in 1999, astronomers suspected it consists of two massive stars orbiting each other. As the stars orbit, their stellar winds collide, producing huge amounts of dust. The dust rotates in a giant pinwheel shape. Astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii said on March 18, 2025, that they have now confirmed the pair of stars. In addition, they also determined there is little to no danger of Wolf-Rayet 104 emitting a dangerous gamma-ray burst directly toward Earth, as astronomers had previously thought could happen. So the pinwheel death star will seemingly spare us from extinction. Phew!
Astronomer Grant Hill at the Keck Observatory is the author of the latest peer-reviewed research paper. He originally published it in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on September 19, 2024. Keck issued the new press release on March 18, 2025.
Astronomers discovered Wolf-Rayet 104 back in 1999. It is a rare pinwheel star system due to the huge spiral formation of dust circling a pair of stars. Scientists now suspect it’s actually a triple system, with a third much more distant star connected by gravity. But the pinwheel effect is created by the two main stars. The first of the two is a Wolf-Rayet star. Those stars are hot, bright and massive. Its stellar wind, similar to our sun’s solar wind, is rich in carbon. The other star, an OB star, is even more massive, and its solar wind is mostly hydrogen.
The stellar winds are huge streams of charged particles, or plasmas, flowing out from each star. As the two stars orbit each other, their stellar winds collide, forming hydrocarbon dust. That dust rotates in a giant pinwheel shape around the stars, and it glows brightly in infrared.
Is Wolf-Rayet 104 a pinwheel death star?
As it happens, Wolf-Rayet 104’s orientation is such that the pinwheel looks face-on to us. That adds to its beauty, but it also concerned astronomers. Why? It meant the rotational poles of the two stars might be aimed right toward us. Astronomers expect that one or both of the stars will likely explode in a supernova at some point in the future. That explosion could be powerful enough to produce a gamma-ray burst (GRB). And if that pole on the star was indeed oriented toward us, then the gamma-ray burst would come right toward our solar system, endangering life on Earth.
But based on the new study, however, it appears that’s not be the case. Hill explained:
Our view of the pinwheel dust spiral from Earth absolutely looks face-on (spinning in the plane of the sky), and it seemed like a pretty safe assumption that the two stars are orbiting the same way. When I started this project, I thought the main focus would be the colliding winds and a face-on orbit was a given. Instead, I found something very unexpected. The orbit is tilted at least 30 or 40 degrees out of the plane of the sky.
Another surprising mystery
That 30 to 40 degrees is a healthy margin, meaning any gamma-ray burst would most likely miss us. But why is the dust spiral so tilted relative to the orbits of the stars? That is another mystery researchers will now have to solve. As Hill surmised:
This is such a great example of how, with astronomy, we often begin a study and the universe surprises us with mysteries we didn’t expect. We may answer some questions but create more. In the end, that is sometimes how we learn more about physics and the universe we live in. In this case, WR 104 is not done surprising us yet!
Bottom line: A new study from the Keck Observatory confirms two massive stars in the pinwheel death star won’t send a gamma-ray burst toward Earth after all.
View larger. | This is the Webb space telescope’s view of the 4 young, colorful giant exoplanets in the HR 8799 system, 130 light-years away. The atmospheres of all 4 planets are rich in carbon dioxide. This suggests that they formed much like Jupiter and Saturn, by slowly building solid cores that attract gas from within a planet-forming disk, or protoplanetary disk. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ STScI/ Laurent Pueyo (STScI)/ William Balmer (JHU)/ Marshall Perrin (STScI).
Taking direct images of exoplanets is difficult, due to their great distances and dimness. Astronomers have only photographed a small number of exoplanets so far.
NASA’s Webb space telescope has obtained new images of five young, giant planets in the HR 8799 and 51 Eridani planetary systems. They look like bright dots in various colors.
All the planets have carbon dioxide-rich atmospheres. This suggests they formed in a manner similar to Jupiter and Saturn in our own solar system.
See colorful giant exoplanets in new Webb images
It’s difficult for astronomers to take direct images of planets orbiting distant stars, or exoplanets. Even the largest exoplanets present a challenge because of how much fainter they are than their host stars. Now, NASA’s Webb space telescope has obtained new direct images of not just one but two planetary systems, HR 8799 and 51 Eridani. Between them, Webb imaged five young giant planets, scientists said on March 17, 2025. Webb also confirmed that the atmospheres of all five planets are rich in carbon dioxide.
The researchers published the peer-reviewed details about the new images and other data in The Astrophysical Journal on March 17, 2025.
5 colorful giant exoplanets in 2 planetary systems
Webb imaged the five planets in two different planetary systems. It used its NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) coronagraph, which blocks light from bright stars, to reveal the hidden planets. The planets appear as bright dots in blue, green and red.
The first system, HR 8799, has four known planets and is 130 light-years from Earth. The second system, 51 Eridani, is 97 light-years away and has one young giant planet.
HR 8799 is still young compared to our own solar system, only about 30 million years old. Our solar system, on the other hand, is 4.6 billion years old. This means the planets are still forming and are hot. As a result, they release a lot of infrared radiation, which Webb can analyze.
Rémi Soummer, director of STScI’s Russell B. Makidon Optics Lab and former lead for Webb’s coronagraph instrument, said:
We knew Webb could measure colors of the outer planets in directly imaged systems. We have been waiting for 10 years to confirm that our finely tuned operations of the telescope would also allow us to access the inner planets. Now the results are in and we can do interesting science with it.
Carbon dioxide-rich atmospheres
By using NIRCam and other instruments, Webb analyzed the planets’ atmospheres. It looked for infrared light emitted in wavelengths that are absorbed by specific gases. This can tell the astronomers what the atmospheres are composed of.
Webb found that all five planets have atmospheres rich in carbon dioxide. The atmospheres also contain more heavy elements overall than scientists had previously thought.
View larger. | The Webb space telescope’s view of the young giant planet in the 51 Eridani system, 97 light-years away. Its atmosphere is also rich in carbon dioxide. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ STScI/ Laurent Pueyo (STScI)/ William Balmer (JHU)/ Marshall Perrin (STScI).
How did the planets form?
The results suggest that the planets formed in a manner similar to Jupiter and Saturn in our solar system, in a process called core accretion. They are gradually building solid cores that then attract more gas from the original planet-forming disk, or protoplanetary disk. That disk is the swirling cloud of gas and dust that planets are born in around stars. Lead author William Balmer, at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, said:
By spotting these strong carbon dioxide features, we have shown there is a sizable fraction of heavier elements, like carbon, oxygen and iron, in these planets’ atmospheres. Given what we know about the star they orbit, that likely indicates they formed via core accretion, which is an exciting conclusion for planets that we can directly see.
Giant planets can also form through disk instability, when particles of gas rapidly coalesce into massive objects (the young planets) from a cooling disk of material around a new-born star. But in the case of HR 8799 and 51 Eridani, it seems the planets formed through core accretion.
View larger. | Graph showing the spectrum of planet HR 8799 e. It displays the amounts of near-infrared light detected from the planet by Webb at different wavelengths, revealing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ STScI/ Joseph Olmsted (STScI).
Understanding our own solar system
Knowing more about how other planetary systems form can also help scientists better understand how our own solar system came to be. Balmer said:
Our hope with this kind of research is to understand our own solar system, life and ourselves in the comparison to other exoplanetary systems, so we can contextualize our existence. We want to take pictures of other solar systems and see how they’re similar or different when compared to ours. From there, we can try to get a sense of how weird our solar system really is, or how normal.
The astronomers are planning additional observations of HR 8799 and 51 Eridani. It’s possible that some of the observed planets might actually be brown dwarfs, but only more observations can confirm that, or not. Brown dwarfs are unusual objects, kind of halfway between the smallest stars and the largest planets. They don’t have enough mass to become fully ignited stars. As co-author Laurent Pueyo, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, noted:
We have other lines of evidence that hint at these four HR 8799 planets forming using this bottom-up approach. How common is this for planets we can directly image? We don’t know yet, but we’re proposing more Webb observations to answer that question.
Bottom line: NASA’s Webb space telescope has obtained stunning new images of five young and colorful giant exoplanets. All of them have carbon dioxide-rich atmospheres.
View larger. | This is the Webb space telescope’s view of the 4 young, colorful giant exoplanets in the HR 8799 system, 130 light-years away. The atmospheres of all 4 planets are rich in carbon dioxide. This suggests that they formed much like Jupiter and Saturn, by slowly building solid cores that attract gas from within a planet-forming disk, or protoplanetary disk. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ STScI/ Laurent Pueyo (STScI)/ William Balmer (JHU)/ Marshall Perrin (STScI).
Taking direct images of exoplanets is difficult, due to their great distances and dimness. Astronomers have only photographed a small number of exoplanets so far.
NASA’s Webb space telescope has obtained new images of five young, giant planets in the HR 8799 and 51 Eridani planetary systems. They look like bright dots in various colors.
All the planets have carbon dioxide-rich atmospheres. This suggests they formed in a manner similar to Jupiter and Saturn in our own solar system.
See colorful giant exoplanets in new Webb images
It’s difficult for astronomers to take direct images of planets orbiting distant stars, or exoplanets. Even the largest exoplanets present a challenge because of how much fainter they are than their host stars. Now, NASA’s Webb space telescope has obtained new direct images of not just one but two planetary systems, HR 8799 and 51 Eridani. Between them, Webb imaged five young giant planets, scientists said on March 17, 2025. Webb also confirmed that the atmospheres of all five planets are rich in carbon dioxide.
The researchers published the peer-reviewed details about the new images and other data in The Astrophysical Journal on March 17, 2025.
5 colorful giant exoplanets in 2 planetary systems
Webb imaged the five planets in two different planetary systems. It used its NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) coronagraph, which blocks light from bright stars, to reveal the hidden planets. The planets appear as bright dots in blue, green and red.
The first system, HR 8799, has four known planets and is 130 light-years from Earth. The second system, 51 Eridani, is 97 light-years away and has one young giant planet.
HR 8799 is still young compared to our own solar system, only about 30 million years old. Our solar system, on the other hand, is 4.6 billion years old. This means the planets are still forming and are hot. As a result, they release a lot of infrared radiation, which Webb can analyze.
Rémi Soummer, director of STScI’s Russell B. Makidon Optics Lab and former lead for Webb’s coronagraph instrument, said:
We knew Webb could measure colors of the outer planets in directly imaged systems. We have been waiting for 10 years to confirm that our finely tuned operations of the telescope would also allow us to access the inner planets. Now the results are in and we can do interesting science with it.
Carbon dioxide-rich atmospheres
By using NIRCam and other instruments, Webb analyzed the planets’ atmospheres. It looked for infrared light emitted in wavelengths that are absorbed by specific gases. This can tell the astronomers what the atmospheres are composed of.
Webb found that all five planets have atmospheres rich in carbon dioxide. The atmospheres also contain more heavy elements overall than scientists had previously thought.
View larger. | The Webb space telescope’s view of the young giant planet in the 51 Eridani system, 97 light-years away. Its atmosphere is also rich in carbon dioxide. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ STScI/ Laurent Pueyo (STScI)/ William Balmer (JHU)/ Marshall Perrin (STScI).
How did the planets form?
The results suggest that the planets formed in a manner similar to Jupiter and Saturn in our solar system, in a process called core accretion. They are gradually building solid cores that then attract more gas from the original planet-forming disk, or protoplanetary disk. That disk is the swirling cloud of gas and dust that planets are born in around stars. Lead author William Balmer, at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, said:
By spotting these strong carbon dioxide features, we have shown there is a sizable fraction of heavier elements, like carbon, oxygen and iron, in these planets’ atmospheres. Given what we know about the star they orbit, that likely indicates they formed via core accretion, which is an exciting conclusion for planets that we can directly see.
Giant planets can also form through disk instability, when particles of gas rapidly coalesce into massive objects (the young planets) from a cooling disk of material around a new-born star. But in the case of HR 8799 and 51 Eridani, it seems the planets formed through core accretion.
View larger. | Graph showing the spectrum of planet HR 8799 e. It displays the amounts of near-infrared light detected from the planet by Webb at different wavelengths, revealing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ STScI/ Joseph Olmsted (STScI).
Understanding our own solar system
Knowing more about how other planetary systems form can also help scientists better understand how our own solar system came to be. Balmer said:
Our hope with this kind of research is to understand our own solar system, life and ourselves in the comparison to other exoplanetary systems, so we can contextualize our existence. We want to take pictures of other solar systems and see how they’re similar or different when compared to ours. From there, we can try to get a sense of how weird our solar system really is, or how normal.
The astronomers are planning additional observations of HR 8799 and 51 Eridani. It’s possible that some of the observed planets might actually be brown dwarfs, but only more observations can confirm that, or not. Brown dwarfs are unusual objects, kind of halfway between the smallest stars and the largest planets. They don’t have enough mass to become fully ignited stars. As co-author Laurent Pueyo, an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, noted:
We have other lines of evidence that hint at these four HR 8799 planets forming using this bottom-up approach. How common is this for planets we can directly image? We don’t know yet, but we’re proposing more Webb observations to answer that question.
Bottom line: NASA’s Webb space telescope has obtained stunning new images of five young and colorful giant exoplanets. All of them have carbon dioxide-rich atmospheres.
A dust storm like this one also goes by the name haboob. But what causes the powerful winds that create dust storms, blizzards and more? Image via NOAA.
The world is a windy place. From dust storms to blizzards, hurricanes and tornadoes, powerful winds are at the source of most of our violent storms.
Air moves from regions of high pressure to low pressure. The greater the difference in pressure, the faster the winds will move.
Earth’s rotation causes these winds to spiral around areas of high and low pressure. Air blows clockwise around high pressure and counterclockwise around low pressure.
Windstorms can seem like they come out of nowhere, hitting with a sudden blast. They might be hundreds of miles long, stretching over several states, or just in your neighborhood. But they all have one thing in common: a change in air pressure.
Just like air rushing out of your car tire when the valve is open, air in the atmosphere is forced from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. The stronger the difference in pressure, the stronger the winds that will ultimately result.
Other forces related to the Earth’s rotation, friction and gravity can also alter the speed and direction of winds. But it all starts with this change in pressure over a distance. Or what meteorologists like me call a pressure gradient.
On this forecast for March 18, 2025, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ‘L’ represents low-pressure systems. The shaded area over New Mexico and West Texas represents strong winds and low humidity that combine to raise the risk of wildfires.Image via NOAA Weather Prediction Center.
So how do we get pressure gradients?
Strong pressure gradients ultimately owe their existence to the simple fact that the Earth is round and rotates.
Because the Earth is round, the sun is more directly overhead during the day at the equator than at the poles. This means more energy reaches the surface of the Earth near the equator. And that causes the lower part of the atmosphere, where weather occurs, to be both warmer and have higher pressure on average than the poles.
Nature doesn’t like imbalances. As a result of this temperature difference, strong winds develop at high altitudes over mid-latitude locations, like the continental U.S. This is the jet stream. And even though it’s several miles up in the atmosphere, it has a big impact on the winds we feel at the surface.
Wind speed and direction in the upper atmosphere on March 14, 2025, show waves in the jet stream. Downstream of a trough in this wave, winds diverge and low pressure can form near the surface. Image via NCAR.
Powerful winds from high pressure to low pressure
Because Earth rotates, these upper-altitude winds blow from west to east. Waves in the jet stream – a consequence of Earth’s rotation and variations in the surface land, terrain and oceans – can cause air to diverge, or spread out, at certain points. As the air spreads out, the number of air molecules in a column decreases, ultimately reducing the air pressure at Earth’s surface.
The pressure can drop quite dramatically over a few days or even just a few hours, leading to the birth of a low-pressure system. This is what meteorologists call an extratropical cyclone.
In between these low-pressure and high-pressure systems is a strong change in pressure over a distance: a pressure gradient. And that pressure gradient leads to strong winds. Earth’s rotation causes these winds to spiral around areas of high and low pressure. These highs and lows are like large circular mixers, with air blowing clockwise around high pressure and counterclockwise around low pressure. This flow pattern blows warm air northward toward the poles east of lows and cool air southward toward the equator west of lows.
As the waves in the jet stream migrate from west to east, so do the surface lows and highs, and with them, the corridors of strong winds.
A map illustrates lines of surface pressure, called isobars, with areas of high and low pressure marked for March 14, 2025. Winds are strongest when isobars are packed most closely together. Image via Plymouth State University (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Whipping up dust storms and spreading fires
That’s what the U.S. experienced in March 2025 when a strong extratropical cyclone caused winds stretching thousands of miles that whipped up dust storms and spread wildfires. It even caused tornadoes and blizzards in the central and southern U.S.
The jet stream over the U.S. is strongest and often the most “wavy” in the springtime. That’s when the south-to-north difference in temperature is often the strongest.
Winds associated with large-scale pressure systems can become quite strong in areas where there is limited friction at the ground. For example, this happens in the flat, less forested terrain of the Great Plains. One of the biggest risks is dust storms in arid regions of West Texas or eastern New Mexico, exacerbated by drought in these areas.
When the ground and vegetation are dry and the air has low relative humidity, high winds can also spread wildfires out of control.
Even more intense winds can occur when the pressure gradient interacts with terrain. Winds can sometimes rush faster downslope, as happens in the Rockies or with the Santa Ana winds that fueled devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January.
Violent tornadoes and storms
Of course, winds can become even stronger and more violent on local scales associated with thunderstorms.
When thunderstorms form, hail and precipitation in them can cause the air to rapidly fall in a downdraft. This creates very high pressure under these storms. That pressure forces the air to spread out horizontally when it reaches the ground. Meteorologists call these straight line winds. And the process that forms them is a downburst. Large thunderstorms or chains of them moving across a region can cause large swaths of strong wind over 60 mph (about 100 kph), called a derecho.
The powerful winds of a tornado
Finally, some of nature’s strongest winds occur inside tornadoes. They form when the winds surrounding a thunderstorm change speed and direction with height. This can cause part of the storm to rotate. And that sets off a chain of events that may lead to a tornado and winds as strong as 300 mph (about 500 kph) in the most violent tornadoes.
How a tornado forms. Source: NOAA.
Tornado winds are also associated with an intense pressure gradient. The pressure inside the center of a tornado is often very low and varies considerably over a very small distance.
It’s no coincidence that localized violent winds from thunderstorm downbursts and tornadoes often occur amid large-scale windstorms. Extratropical cyclones often draw warm, moist air northward on strong winds from the south. And this is a key ingredient for thunderstorms. Storms also become more severe and may produce tornadoes when the jet stream is in close proximity to these low-pressure centers. In the winter and early spring, cold air funneling south on the northwest side of strong extratropical cyclones can even lead to blizzards.
So, the same wave in the jet stream can lead to strong winds, blowing dust and fire danger in one region, while simultaneously triggering a tornado outbreak and a blizzard in other regions.
Bottom line: The strong, powerful winds of dust storms, blizzards, tornadoes and more are the result of air seeking to stabilize between high pressure and low pressure regions.
A dust storm like this one also goes by the name haboob. But what causes the powerful winds that create dust storms, blizzards and more? Image via NOAA.
The world is a windy place. From dust storms to blizzards, hurricanes and tornadoes, powerful winds are at the source of most of our violent storms.
Air moves from regions of high pressure to low pressure. The greater the difference in pressure, the faster the winds will move.
Earth’s rotation causes these winds to spiral around areas of high and low pressure. Air blows clockwise around high pressure and counterclockwise around low pressure.
Windstorms can seem like they come out of nowhere, hitting with a sudden blast. They might be hundreds of miles long, stretching over several states, or just in your neighborhood. But they all have one thing in common: a change in air pressure.
Just like air rushing out of your car tire when the valve is open, air in the atmosphere is forced from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. The stronger the difference in pressure, the stronger the winds that will ultimately result.
Other forces related to the Earth’s rotation, friction and gravity can also alter the speed and direction of winds. But it all starts with this change in pressure over a distance. Or what meteorologists like me call a pressure gradient.
On this forecast for March 18, 2025, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ‘L’ represents low-pressure systems. The shaded area over New Mexico and West Texas represents strong winds and low humidity that combine to raise the risk of wildfires.Image via NOAA Weather Prediction Center.
So how do we get pressure gradients?
Strong pressure gradients ultimately owe their existence to the simple fact that the Earth is round and rotates.
Because the Earth is round, the sun is more directly overhead during the day at the equator than at the poles. This means more energy reaches the surface of the Earth near the equator. And that causes the lower part of the atmosphere, where weather occurs, to be both warmer and have higher pressure on average than the poles.
Nature doesn’t like imbalances. As a result of this temperature difference, strong winds develop at high altitudes over mid-latitude locations, like the continental U.S. This is the jet stream. And even though it’s several miles up in the atmosphere, it has a big impact on the winds we feel at the surface.
Wind speed and direction in the upper atmosphere on March 14, 2025, show waves in the jet stream. Downstream of a trough in this wave, winds diverge and low pressure can form near the surface. Image via NCAR.
Powerful winds from high pressure to low pressure
Because Earth rotates, these upper-altitude winds blow from west to east. Waves in the jet stream – a consequence of Earth’s rotation and variations in the surface land, terrain and oceans – can cause air to diverge, or spread out, at certain points. As the air spreads out, the number of air molecules in a column decreases, ultimately reducing the air pressure at Earth’s surface.
The pressure can drop quite dramatically over a few days or even just a few hours, leading to the birth of a low-pressure system. This is what meteorologists call an extratropical cyclone.
In between these low-pressure and high-pressure systems is a strong change in pressure over a distance: a pressure gradient. And that pressure gradient leads to strong winds. Earth’s rotation causes these winds to spiral around areas of high and low pressure. These highs and lows are like large circular mixers, with air blowing clockwise around high pressure and counterclockwise around low pressure. This flow pattern blows warm air northward toward the poles east of lows and cool air southward toward the equator west of lows.
As the waves in the jet stream migrate from west to east, so do the surface lows and highs, and with them, the corridors of strong winds.
A map illustrates lines of surface pressure, called isobars, with areas of high and low pressure marked for March 14, 2025. Winds are strongest when isobars are packed most closely together. Image via Plymouth State University (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Whipping up dust storms and spreading fires
That’s what the U.S. experienced in March 2025 when a strong extratropical cyclone caused winds stretching thousands of miles that whipped up dust storms and spread wildfires. It even caused tornadoes and blizzards in the central and southern U.S.
The jet stream over the U.S. is strongest and often the most “wavy” in the springtime. That’s when the south-to-north difference in temperature is often the strongest.
Winds associated with large-scale pressure systems can become quite strong in areas where there is limited friction at the ground. For example, this happens in the flat, less forested terrain of the Great Plains. One of the biggest risks is dust storms in arid regions of West Texas or eastern New Mexico, exacerbated by drought in these areas.
When the ground and vegetation are dry and the air has low relative humidity, high winds can also spread wildfires out of control.
Even more intense winds can occur when the pressure gradient interacts with terrain. Winds can sometimes rush faster downslope, as happens in the Rockies or with the Santa Ana winds that fueled devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January.
Violent tornadoes and storms
Of course, winds can become even stronger and more violent on local scales associated with thunderstorms.
When thunderstorms form, hail and precipitation in them can cause the air to rapidly fall in a downdraft. This creates very high pressure under these storms. That pressure forces the air to spread out horizontally when it reaches the ground. Meteorologists call these straight line winds. And the process that forms them is a downburst. Large thunderstorms or chains of them moving across a region can cause large swaths of strong wind over 60 mph (about 100 kph), called a derecho.
The powerful winds of a tornado
Finally, some of nature’s strongest winds occur inside tornadoes. They form when the winds surrounding a thunderstorm change speed and direction with height. This can cause part of the storm to rotate. And that sets off a chain of events that may lead to a tornado and winds as strong as 300 mph (about 500 kph) in the most violent tornadoes.
How a tornado forms. Source: NOAA.
Tornado winds are also associated with an intense pressure gradient. The pressure inside the center of a tornado is often very low and varies considerably over a very small distance.
It’s no coincidence that localized violent winds from thunderstorm downbursts and tornadoes often occur amid large-scale windstorms. Extratropical cyclones often draw warm, moist air northward on strong winds from the south. And this is a key ingredient for thunderstorms. Storms also become more severe and may produce tornadoes when the jet stream is in close proximity to these low-pressure centers. In the winter and early spring, cold air funneling south on the northwest side of strong extratropical cyclones can even lead to blizzards.
So, the same wave in the jet stream can lead to strong winds, blowing dust and fire danger in one region, while simultaneously triggering a tornado outbreak and a blizzard in other regions.
Bottom line: The strong, powerful winds of dust storms, blizzards, tornadoes and more are the result of air seeking to stabilize between high pressure and low pressure regions.
The Spring Triangle is an asterism of the 3 bright stars Arcturus, Spica and Regulus at its corners. All 3 stars are in different constellations. Image via EarthSky.
The Spring Triangle heralds warmer weather
Around the time of the March equinox, a trio of wide-spread stars rises in the east after dark. The Spring Triangle announces the slide into shorter nights and warmer weather for the Northern Hemisphere. Regulus in Leo the Lion is the first to rise above the horizon, having risen before the sun has even set. It’s followed by Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman. And, just a bit later, Spica in Virgo the Maiden joins the group. These three bright stars create a narrow pyramid stretching up from the horizon.
The Spring Triangle is entirely above the horizon before midnight in March. And by early April, its three stars are visible by mid-evening (midway between sundown and midnight).
Once you come to know it, when you see the Spring Triangle stars above the houses across the street, you can almost feel the warm springtime air.
The Spring Triangle is an asterism
Like the sky’s other seasonal shapes (for instance, the Summer Triangle and Winter Circle or Hexagon), the Spring Triangle isn’t a constellation. It’s not one of the 88 regions of the sky officially recognized as constellations by the International Astronomical Union.
Instead, it’s an asterism, an unofficial but recognizable pattern of stars that can be in one constellation or in multiple constellations. Asterisms are what many of us would pick out as constellations, if we didn’t know any constellations. That’s because they’re often the sky’s most recognizable patterns.
Let’s look at how to find these stars so we can watch them move across the night sky.
Leo the Lion’s brightest star is Regulus. It’s the dot at the bottom of the backward question mark known as the Sickle. Chart via EarthSky.
Regulus
As soon as it’s dark around the March equinox, look for a bright yellowish star twinkling above the eastern horizon. That’s Regulus, and it’s easy to confirm if you’ve spotted the right star. If the star you’re targeting marks the period in a backward question mark pattern of stars, you’ve got it. This question mark shape is another asterism known as the Sickle in Leo. The curve of the question mark traces the head of the lion and Regulus is the Lion’s heart.
When we look at Regulus, we only see one star, but it’s actually a four-star system. From about 79 light-years away, the light from the four stars makes one point of light in the night sky. The brightest star in this system is a yellow supergiant about four times the size of our sun.
Arcturus and its constellation Boötes the Herdsman. Boötes has the shape of a kite. Arcturus is at the point where you’d attach a tail. You can see it on spring evenings in the Northern Hemisphere. Chart via EarthSky.
Arcturus
Next up is Arcturus, the brightest star of the three in the Spring Triangle. For those at northerly latitudes, Arcturus is the second-brightest star visible on the sky’s dome, after Sirius, which is currently in the southwestern sky. (Those at more southerly latitudes, like the southern U.S., can see the sky’s actual second-brightest star, Canopus, in the south.) Arcturus is a gorgeous old red giant about 37 light-years away. Billions of years in the future, when the sun has burnt up its own hydrogen fuel supply, it will turn into a star like the type Arcturus is now.
The constellation Virgo the Maiden is easy to find using the Big Dipper and arcing to Arcturus in Boötes, then speeding on down toward Spica, Virgo’s brightest star. Image via EarthSky.
Spica
If Arcturus has risen, Spica is not far behind. Look for Spica lower in the sky than Arcturus – and father toward the south, or right – of the others. From a distance of 250 light-years away, Spica appears to us on Earth to be a lone bluish-white star in a quiet region of the sky. But Spica consists of two stars and maybe more. The pair are both larger and hotter than our sun, and they’re separated by only 11 million miles (less than 18 million km). They orbit their common center of gravity in only four days.
A triangle inside the triangle
If you can spot the Spring Triangle, you may notice there’s a second triangle inside the larger triangle. The smaller triangle excludes Regulus but includes yellowish Denebola, a double star about 36 light-years away that marks the Lion’s tail. Denebola is the second brightest in Leo. To see this second triangle, see the chart below.
Some stargazers speak of the Spring Triangle as including Denebola instead of Regulus. Image via EarthSky.
The Spring Triangle is less attention-grabbing than the Winter Circle (or Hexagon) and the Summer Triangle. If you’re having trouble finding it, there’s another way. Use the Big Dipper for extra help.
Finding the Spring Triangle
Find the Spring Triangle using the Big Dipper as a guide. Image via EarthSky.
Toward the north, look for the Big Dipper, called the Plough in the United Kingdom. This time of year, by mid-evening it’s ascending in the northeast. If you draw a line from the two stars at the end of the Dipper’s bowl or blade – Dubhe and Merak – and extend it toward the south, you’ll reach Regulus.
Then, follow the curve of the Dipper’s handle away from the bowl to arc to Arcturus and continue the line downward to speed on down to Spica.
Surprisingly enough, the Spring Triangle is bigger than its more famous summertime cousin, and it’s almost as big across as the Winter Hexagon. Yet it’s not one of the best-known star patterns.
Once you’ve found the Spring Triangle, you’ll enjoy it year after year. Maybe because it appears as spring arrives, this pattern seems full of optimism for good things to come!
Bottom Line: Look for a sign of the changing seasons in the heavens as the Spring Triangle, made up of the bright stars Regulus, Arcturus and Spica, rises above the horizon in the east over the next couple of months.
The Spring Triangle is an asterism of the 3 bright stars Arcturus, Spica and Regulus at its corners. All 3 stars are in different constellations. Image via EarthSky.
The Spring Triangle heralds warmer weather
Around the time of the March equinox, a trio of wide-spread stars rises in the east after dark. The Spring Triangle announces the slide into shorter nights and warmer weather for the Northern Hemisphere. Regulus in Leo the Lion is the first to rise above the horizon, having risen before the sun has even set. It’s followed by Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman. And, just a bit later, Spica in Virgo the Maiden joins the group. These three bright stars create a narrow pyramid stretching up from the horizon.
The Spring Triangle is entirely above the horizon before midnight in March. And by early April, its three stars are visible by mid-evening (midway between sundown and midnight).
Once you come to know it, when you see the Spring Triangle stars above the houses across the street, you can almost feel the warm springtime air.
The Spring Triangle is an asterism
Like the sky’s other seasonal shapes (for instance, the Summer Triangle and Winter Circle or Hexagon), the Spring Triangle isn’t a constellation. It’s not one of the 88 regions of the sky officially recognized as constellations by the International Astronomical Union.
Instead, it’s an asterism, an unofficial but recognizable pattern of stars that can be in one constellation or in multiple constellations. Asterisms are what many of us would pick out as constellations, if we didn’t know any constellations. That’s because they’re often the sky’s most recognizable patterns.
Let’s look at how to find these stars so we can watch them move across the night sky.
Leo the Lion’s brightest star is Regulus. It’s the dot at the bottom of the backward question mark known as the Sickle. Chart via EarthSky.
Regulus
As soon as it’s dark around the March equinox, look for a bright yellowish star twinkling above the eastern horizon. That’s Regulus, and it’s easy to confirm if you’ve spotted the right star. If the star you’re targeting marks the period in a backward question mark pattern of stars, you’ve got it. This question mark shape is another asterism known as the Sickle in Leo. The curve of the question mark traces the head of the lion and Regulus is the Lion’s heart.
When we look at Regulus, we only see one star, but it’s actually a four-star system. From about 79 light-years away, the light from the four stars makes one point of light in the night sky. The brightest star in this system is a yellow supergiant about four times the size of our sun.
Arcturus and its constellation Boötes the Herdsman. Boötes has the shape of a kite. Arcturus is at the point where you’d attach a tail. You can see it on spring evenings in the Northern Hemisphere. Chart via EarthSky.
Arcturus
Next up is Arcturus, the brightest star of the three in the Spring Triangle. For those at northerly latitudes, Arcturus is the second-brightest star visible on the sky’s dome, after Sirius, which is currently in the southwestern sky. (Those at more southerly latitudes, like the southern U.S., can see the sky’s actual second-brightest star, Canopus, in the south.) Arcturus is a gorgeous old red giant about 37 light-years away. Billions of years in the future, when the sun has burnt up its own hydrogen fuel supply, it will turn into a star like the type Arcturus is now.
The constellation Virgo the Maiden is easy to find using the Big Dipper and arcing to Arcturus in Boötes, then speeding on down toward Spica, Virgo’s brightest star. Image via EarthSky.
Spica
If Arcturus has risen, Spica is not far behind. Look for Spica lower in the sky than Arcturus – and father toward the south, or right – of the others. From a distance of 250 light-years away, Spica appears to us on Earth to be a lone bluish-white star in a quiet region of the sky. But Spica consists of two stars and maybe more. The pair are both larger and hotter than our sun, and they’re separated by only 11 million miles (less than 18 million km). They orbit their common center of gravity in only four days.
A triangle inside the triangle
If you can spot the Spring Triangle, you may notice there’s a second triangle inside the larger triangle. The smaller triangle excludes Regulus but includes yellowish Denebola, a double star about 36 light-years away that marks the Lion’s tail. Denebola is the second brightest in Leo. To see this second triangle, see the chart below.
Some stargazers speak of the Spring Triangle as including Denebola instead of Regulus. Image via EarthSky.
The Spring Triangle is less attention-grabbing than the Winter Circle (or Hexagon) and the Summer Triangle. If you’re having trouble finding it, there’s another way. Use the Big Dipper for extra help.
Finding the Spring Triangle
Find the Spring Triangle using the Big Dipper as a guide. Image via EarthSky.
Toward the north, look for the Big Dipper, called the Plough in the United Kingdom. This time of year, by mid-evening it’s ascending in the northeast. If you draw a line from the two stars at the end of the Dipper’s bowl or blade – Dubhe and Merak – and extend it toward the south, you’ll reach Regulus.
Then, follow the curve of the Dipper’s handle away from the bowl to arc to Arcturus and continue the line downward to speed on down to Spica.
Surprisingly enough, the Spring Triangle is bigger than its more famous summertime cousin, and it’s almost as big across as the Winter Hexagon. Yet it’s not one of the best-known star patterns.
Once you’ve found the Spring Triangle, you’ll enjoy it year after year. Maybe because it appears as spring arrives, this pattern seems full of optimism for good things to come!
Bottom Line: Look for a sign of the changing seasons in the heavens as the Spring Triangle, made up of the bright stars Regulus, Arcturus and Spica, rises above the horizon in the east over the next couple of months.
