If someone asks you to name an animal with a long neck, chances are you’ll say “giraffe.” But if you want to impress your friends at trivia night, there’s another answer worth remembering: the giraffe weevil.

It doesn’t live on the African savanna, nor does it stand several feet tall. In fact, the giraffe weevil is small enough to comfortably fit on the tip of your finger. Yet this insect possesses an extraordinarily long neck, disproportionate enough to rival the giraffe itself.

Males use their elongated necks to fight rivals and compete for mates. Females, whose necks are much shorter, make up for it with a natural talent for building curious cradles out of rolled leaves.

These tiny insects live in Madagascar. Few places on Earth harbor as many biological oddities as the Great Red Island!

Red, black and elegant

Unlike many beetles with stout, heavy bodies, the giraffe weevil has a surprisingly slender silhouette. Its long legs allow it to move easily among branches and leaves, and they are equipped with small protrusions that help it cling to vegetation.

Although the neck is the first thing that catches the eye, it is far from the only feature that makes the giraffe weevil difficult to forget. Its body combines a glossy black coloration with striking red elytra, or their hardened wing covers.

Up close, its appearance becomes even more unusual. At the end of its elongated neck sits a small head equipped with prominent dark eyes and a pair of antennae that constantly probe the surrounding environment. Unlike the bent antennae typical of many weevils, these are relatively straight and end in a small sensory structure specialized in detecting odors and other chemical signals in the environment — an essential ability for navigation and finding mates.

Much more than a long neck

Few body structures are as exaggerated as the neck of the giraffe weevil. In males, it can be several times longer than in females. And this difference is no accident. As in many species, the two sexes have followed different evolutionary paths to meet their respective challenges.

The neck plays a crucial role during the breeding season. When several males compete for a female, they may engage in combat using this structure as a kind of weapon. Rivals wrestle on branches, attempting to unbalance one another until one eventually gains the upper hand.

This phenomenon is known as sexual selection. Much like the antlers of deer, the giraffe weevil’s neck evolved because it provides reproductive advantages to those that possess a more developed version of it.

The giraffe weevil poses no threat to humans. It has no stinger, does not bite and is completely harmless. Its elongated neck may look intimidating, but it plays no role in defending against people or other large animals.

The art of turning a leaf into a cradle

If the neck is the giraffe weevil’s most famous feature, its reproductive behavior is probably its most fascinating.

After mating, the female carefully selects a suitable leaf. Just any leaf won’t do. It must have the right size, shape and strength for the task she is about to undertake. Then begins a process that seems more fitting for a skilled craftsperson than for an insect.

Using her legs and the aid of her specialized anatomy, the leaf is gradually folded and rolled into a compact tubular structure. Inside it, the female lays a single egg and continues working until she completes a perfectly protected plant capsule. Once construction is finished, the leaf often detaches and falls to the forest floor.

What makes this so ingenious is that the tiny cradle serves several functions at once. It protects the egg from numerous predators, maintains relatively stable conditions for development and also contains the future larva’s first source of food.

Few insect species display such elaborate behavior when caring for the next generation.

Born inside a pantry

The giraffe weevil’s story does not end once the egg is safely enclosed within the rolled leaf. After some time, a small larva emerges and finds itself surrounded by food from the very first moment of its life. The leaf that forms its shelter also serves as its first meal.

As it grows, the larva slowly consumes the plant tissue around it. In doing so, it obtains the energy needed to complete the various stages of its development.

Eventually, the time for metamorphosis arrives. Like other beetles, it passes through a pupal stage during which its body undergoes a profound transformation.

At last, the adult emerges, equipped with all the characteristics that have made this species one of the most distinctive insects in the world.

An exclusive resident of the Great Red Island

The giraffe weevil lives only in Madagascar, a vast island off the eastern coast of Africa.

This geographic isolation has turned Madagascar into one of the planet’s greatest hotspots of unique evolution. For millions of years, many species evolved there independently, giving rise to animals found nowhere else on Earth.

Lemurs, impossibly shaped chameleons, bizarre insects and unique plants all form part of this extraordinary biological heritage.

The giraffe weevil is one of these endemic species. Its distribution is limited to certain forested regions of the island, where it depends on specific plants for both food and reproduction.

Much of its life unfolds among branches and leaves. There it finds shelter, food and the materials needed to build the structures in which its offspring will develop.

What does the future hold for the giraffe weevil?

The giraffe weevil remains a relatively understudied insect. Scientists do not have as much information about its populations as they do for many mammals or birds. But that does not mean it is free from threats.

Like many of Madagascar’s endemic species, its greatest challenge is habitat loss. Deforestation, agricultural expansion and other human activities are steadily reducing the natural areas on which it depends.

When a species lives exclusively in a single region of the world, any change to that environment can have significant consequences.

And yet, despite measuring only a few inches in length, the giraffe weevil has become one of the most remarkable and instantly recognizable creatures in the natural world.

Bottom line: The giraffe weevil is a tiny Madagascan beetle with a super-long neck, leaf-rolling skills and a fantastic evolutionary story.

Read more: Ants, little but tough: Lifeform of the week

Read more: Ocean sunfish are odd, gentle giants

The post The giraffe weevil: When a beetle grows a giraffe’s neck first appeared on EarthSky.

Sun news July 13: Sun-stuff could reach Earth tonight

(11 UTC July 12 – 11 UTC July 13)

Today’s top story: Earth’s magnetic field is set for another round of disturbance. A burst of sun-stuff – or coronal mass ejection (CME) – fired from the sun on July 10 is edging closer. It could give our planet a glancing blow late today or early tomorrow. This comes after our geomagnetic field already reached G1 (minor) geomagnetic storm levels yesterday. That was caused by the combined punch of a waning coronal hole solar wind stream and the glancing arrival of a CME from July 9. And looking ahead, forecasters are keeping a close eye on up to four CMEs that could brush past Earth over the next several days. Stay tuned!

Past 24 hours on the sun

Flare activity: Solar activity held at low to moderate levels over the past day. Observers logged 8 flares: 4 C-class and 4 B-class events.

• Strongest flare: A C2.6 from AR4485 peaking at 13:46 UTC on July 12.
• Lead flare producer: AR4485 dominated once again, firing at least 6 of the 8 tracked flares, including all four C-class events. However, the region’s productivity should diminish rapidly as it rotates behind the western limb.

Sunspot regions: The Earth-facing solar disk displayed approximately 5 numbered active regions. However, the count is in flux as AR4485 departs around the west limb and a new spot emerges on the east.

• AR4485 (beta-gamma): The period’s most complex and active region has now reached the extreme western limb (edge). Its position makes analysis increasingly difficult. Even so, its beta-gamma magnetic configuration means it has the potential for M-class flares.
• New unnumbered region: A moderately sized sunspot has breached the southeastern limb and is now rotating into view. NOAA will assign a number once the region’s magnetic structure can be better assessed.
• The remaining numbered regions stayed mostly unchanged or showed signs of decay. None exhibited complex magnetic configurations or significant flare activity during the period.

Blasts from the sun? Forecasters tracked multiple CMEs during and around the reporting period. None of the newly observed events should directly impact Earth. Instead, the primary focus remains on previously launched CMEs still en route.

Past 24 hours in space weather

Solar wind: Solar wind conditions reflected the waning influence of a coronal hole’s high-speed solar wind stream, combined with the July 9 CME’s glancing arrival. Speeds steadily decreased to near normal. Meanwhile, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) remained normal.

Bt, Bz and magnetic coupling: The Bz component spent much of the morning hours tilted southward. This configuration favors aurora because it opens Earth’s magnetic field to incoming solar wind energy. After midday, however, the Bz turned neutral to mostly northward, closing the door for auroral activity.

Earth’s magnetic field: The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to G1 (minor) storm levels. The Kp index reached 4 (active) during the 9–12 UTC window on July 12, meeting the G1 threshold. Outside this interval, conditions stayed generally quiet to unsettled (Kp 1–3). By the end of the reporting period, the field had settled back to quiet levels.

What’s ahead? Sun–Earth forecast

Flare activity forecast: We expect solar activity to remain at low levels, with a chance (25%) for M-class flares through July 13. The residual complexity and flare potential of AR4485 drives this outlook as it leaves over the western horizon. By July 14, AR4485 should have rotated far enough behind the limb to minimize most flare impacts on the Earth-facing disk. That will reduce M-class probability further.

A very low chance (5%) for X-class flares exists but is negligible. Meanwhile, forecasters will watch the new region emerging on the southeast limb closely. Early indications suggest a simple magnetic configuration, though. So it is unlikely to produce significant flaring in the near term.

Geomagnetic activity forecast:

• July 13: Expect quiet to unsettled conditions (Kp 1–3) early in the day as the combined CME and coronal hole high-speed stream effects continue to taper off. By late in the day, unsettled to active levels (Kp 3–4) are expected. In addition, a chance exists for an isolated period of G1 (minor) storm conditions, tied to the potential arrival of the July 10 CME. If G1 conditions materialize, aurora may appear over high-latitude locations such as northern Scotland, southern Alaska, and Iceland. However, short summer nights will significantly limit viewing opportunities at these latitudes.
• July 14: Unsettled to active levels (Kp 3–4) are possible, especially early in the day. CME effects from the July 10 event may persist. Moreover, the July 11 CME pair may arrive around 11–12 UTC. An isolated G1 (minor) storm period remains possible. Kp estimates from modeling suggest values of 2–3 for the July 11 CMEs. So any storm-level activity would depend on favorable Bz orientation. Conditions should gradually ease through the day.
• July 15: Expect a slow return toward near-background levels, bringing quiet to unsettled conditions (Kp 1–3) by mid to late in the day. However, possible glancing effects from the faster July 12 CMEs could briefly enhance conditions late on July 15 into July 16. Model Kp estimates of 2–3 suggest any impacts would be minor.

The sun in recent days

Earlier sun images

Sun images from our community

More sun images from our community

We sometimes feature sun images obtained using hydrogen-alpha filters. Read why.

Bottom line: Sun news July 13, 2026: A burst of sun-stuff fired on Friday could graze Earth late today. Yesterday’s geomagnetic storm might get an encore.

Submit your photos here.

View community photos here.

The post Sun news: Sun-stuff could reach Earth tonight first appeared on EarthSky.

Want more? Here are 4 keys to understanding the moon’s phases.

Highlights for July

In this video, EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd gives you the best night sky sights of July 2026: the moon, planets, stars and meteors. Mark your calendar! Watch here or on YouTube.

Asteroid Apophis was briefly considered the most dangerous known asteroid. Now we know it won’t hit Earth in 2029 … but its close flyby on April 13, 2029, will be one of the most remarkable astronomical events in recorded history. Those on the night side of Earth will be able to watch it streak past with the eye alone! If you’ve heard the scare stories about Apophis, let this conversation with planetary astronomer Richard Binzel separate myth from reality. Watch in the player above or on YouTube.

July morning planets: Northern Hemisphere view

Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

July evening planets: Northern Hemisphere view

Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

July 15 evening: Moon near Venus and Regulus

Read more: Leo the Lion and its easy to see backward question mark

Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

July 16 and 17 evenings: Moon close to Venus and Regulus

Read more: Leo the Lion and its easy to see backward question mark

Read more: Earthshine is a lovely glow on the unlit portion of the moon

Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

July 20 evening: Moon and Spica

Read more: Virgo the Maiden represents a harvest goddess

Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

July 21: 1st quarter moon

Want more? Here are 4 keys to understanding the moon’s phases.

July 23 and 24 evenings: Moon near Antares

Read more: Massive ruby red Antares is the Scorpion’s Heart

Late July: Watch for the Delta Aquariid meteors

July 25 and 26 evenings: Moon near Teapot

Read more: Teapot of Sagittarius points to Milky Way center

July 27 evening: Moon near Teapot

Read more: Sagittarius the Archer and its famous Teapot

July 28 overnight: Full Buck Moon

Our charts are mostly set for mid-latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

July 29 and 30 evenings: Moon and Capricornus

Read more: Capricornus the Sea-goat has an arrowhead shape

July evening planets

July morning planets

July stars

If you’re out stargazing on any July evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the sky.

Hercules the Hero and the Hercules Cluster

Lyra the Harp

Cygnus the Swan

Have fun exploring the sky!

New to stargazing? Read more: Planisphere: Your friend to find stars and constellations

Sky dome map for visible planets and night sky

Read more: Guy Ottewell explains sky dome maps

Heliocentric solar system visible planets and more

Read more: Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts.

Some resources to enjoy

For more videos of great night sky events, visit EarthSky’s YouTube page.

Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to daily emails from EarthSky. It’s free!

Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze to find a dark-sky location near you.

Post your own night sky photos at EarthSky Community Photos.

Visit Stellarium-Web.org for precise views from your location.

Bottom line: EarthSky’s visible planets and night sky guide. The new moon occurs tonight. The dark, moonless nights around it are among the best for stargazing.

The post Visible planets and night sky guide for July first appeared on EarthSky.

• The Pentagon released the 4th batch of its UAP files on July 10, 2026.
• It contains a mix of video, image, document and audio files. There are 40 new files in all, and 19 are videos, including the now-viral “floating brain” video.
• The release is part of a continuing rollout of files every couple or few weeks.

EarthSky isn’t powered by billionaires. We’re powered by you. Support EarthSky’s 2026 Donation Campaign and help keep science accessible.

AI-enhanced ‘floating brain’ UAP video goes viral

The Pentagon released a 4th batch of UAP/UFO files on July 10, 2026. The release includes 19 videos, 14 documents, three images and four audio files. One video – dubbed the “floating brain” – was immediately altered with AI and re-released to the internet, where it went viral this weekend. Forbes reported:

An X user applied AI to enhance the Pentagon’s previously released UFO footage designated DOW-UAP-PR030, also called the ‘floating brain’ UAP. The enhanced image depicts an image that shape-shifts and performs a sharp high-speed maneuver before it accelerates away …

The AI-enhanced image took the internet by storm, sparking a fresh wave of speculation, with viewers drawing very different conclusions about what they’re seeing.

One user wrote, ‘It’s just a bunch of Mylar balloons tied together. Probably escaped a fair. They can ascend for thousands of feet without popping like latex balloons.’

Another one also presented its own theory, stating, ‘Yeah, that thing flew here from Alpha Centauri, or from the Andromeda Galaxy. Makes perfect sense. Look at its mystifyingly perfect symmetry. It can’t possibly be a distorted balloon or a random piece of garbage. Our lives are changed forever.’

Meanwhile, the non-AI-enhanced videos – like the ones found on this page – are also being widely distributed online. The recent batch of UAP files includes the data coming from various agencies, including FBI, NASA, CIA, Energy Department and Pentagon.

Pentagon UAP files: Part 4

The Pentagon had released its 1st batch of declassified UAP/UFO materials on May 8, 2026. It released a 2nd batch on May 22, and a 3rd batch on June 12.

And as usual, Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and Chief Pentagon Spokesman, said in a statement:

Today, the Department of War is publishing the fourth release of declassified and historical Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) files as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE). The collection continues to be housed on WAR.GOV/UFO, and the Department will release additional files on a rolling basis.

And again, many of these files have been known about already, both historically and more recently, by researchers and others who follow the subject. But these centralized releases will help more of the general public to see them as well.

‘Floating brain’ and other odd videos

One of the most unusual-looking videos is from January 1, 2020, over the Atlantic Ocean. It was taken by a “U.S. military platform.”

The witnesses described the object as a “darker, maroonish color, approximately 12-15 feet [3.6-4.5 m] in height.” It had an odd, kind of layered look, with smaller pieces extending sideways and from the bottom. Indeed, some people have likened it to a jellyfish or “floating brain.”

Unfortunately, as is often the case, the release provides no other details. The accompanying Range Fouler Debrief stated that the object didn’t maneuver or change direction and traveled with the wind. So a good possibility is that this was an unusually shaped balloon or clump of deflated balloons squashed together.

A Range Fouler Debrief is a standardized reporting form the U.S. Navy uses to record the circumstances surrounding an unauthorized intrusion into controlled airspace during active military operations or training.

Also, another interesting military video from somewhere in the Middle East on January 1, 2023, shows a dark squarish object coming into view at the bottom of the video. Just as it reaches the top of the frame, a long, dark, skinny object suddenly enters the frame at the same spot, and crosses very fast toward the lower left corner.

It looks like the square object suddenly changed shape and direction extremely quickly. But is it two different objects as the description suggests?

More historical and other documents

The documents in this release include more historical documents, as well as some more recent ones.

One of these is a document from 1948, from Project Sign. It includes 100 reports from between 1947 and 1948. This was also the time when World War II pilots reported sightings of foo fighters, glowing orbs that followed their aircraft. And the infamous Roswell incident occurred in July 1947.

In addition, a review file from Project Blue Book is also included. It documents the 1966 and 1967 Scientific Advisory Board review. The board recommended that the Air Force contract a university-affiliated scientific team to investigate selected UAP sightings.

Plus, a more recent document records details of a UAP reported near the Pantex nuclear plant in Texas on September 1, 2015. The object was diamond-shaped and rounded on the top, about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide (1.2-.6 m). It was silent and moved slowly, about 10-15 mph (16-24 kph), sometimes increasing speed.

Parts of this document had originally been released in the 2nd batch of files released on May 22, 2026.

There is also an Air Force assessment from 1949 called “Analysis of Flying Object Incidents in the United States.” It includes details and sketches from the famous Chiles-Whitted pilot UAP case from July 24, 1948.

And while it is not known what the object was, there has been a long history of UAP near or right over nuclear installations in the U.S.

Other documents from the DoD, CIA and FGI are also here.

Los Alamos conference and green fireballs

There is also a complete transcript of the February 1949 Los Alamos conference. Edward Teller, the Hungarian-American theoretical physicist known as the father of the hydrogen bomb, organized the conference. It discussed “green fireballs” seen near Los Alamos and other nuclear sites.

‘Characteristics they had never seen in 28 years of service’

And in another Range Fouler Debrief report from 2019, five military pilots reported an unauthorized intrusion into their airspace during active military operations or training. They described a small rectangular object that was caught on the camera of a surveillance plane. The witnesses described it as having flight characteristics they had never seen in 28 years of service for the Navy and Air Force. In addition, they reported that it moved fast enough to outrun the aircraft’s tracking system.

Fourth Release of UAP Encounter Documentswww.leonarddavid.com/fourth-relea…

— Leonard David (@ldavid1129.bsky.social) 2026-07-11T03:48:58.628Z

The volume includes 40 new files, including 19 videos. #space

— NewsNation (@newsnation.bsky.social) 2026-07-10T12:56:05.088Z

Official policy of debunking

Another document, the “1966-1967 deliberations and recommendations of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Scientific Advisory Board’s Ad Hoc Committee to Review Project Blue Book,” includes the CIA’s official position at the time to deliberately “debunk” the UAP issue in the minds of the public. It says:

… the Panel recommends … That the national security agencies take immediate steps to strip the Unidentified Flying Objects of the special status they have been given and the aura of mystery they have unfortunately acquired.

The CIA did this to “reassure the public” that there was no threat or “inimical forces behind the phenomena.” Plus there was also new training for military personnel to focus on “true indications of hostile measures” from adversaries.

More NASA images and audio

As with the previous releases, there are also some new NASA files. This includes three images and four audio files.

The images are from the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-80 mission in 1996. They show a long, narrow triangular object in the distance. The object has changed orientation between the first two images, and in the third Earth is behind it.

These images had been known about before, and in 2016, one of the astronauts on STS-80, Tom Jones, said that he thought the object was an ice particle or other debris.

The audio files are debriefings from the Apollo 14 and Apollo 17 missions. They discuss the “flashes of light” seen outside the astronauts’ capsules. This might have been a biological effect caused by high energy cosmic-rays passing through the astronauts’ eyes and striking the retina.

New Science Advisory Council and Governance Board

In related news, Avi Loeb at Harvard University said last month that the White House tasked him to lead a new UAP Science Advisory Council.

The council is part of a larger new UAP Governance Board. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) stated:

To support the President’s directive on UAP transparency, ODNI – alongside FBI and DOW [Department of War] – established a UAP Governance Board to provide guidance, recommendations and coordination at the interagency level, bringing together military, law enforcement, the intelligence community and other civilian agencies.

The 4th installment of the Pentagon’s UAP files has provided more videos, documents, images and audio to be examined and debated, but still no “smoking gun” hard evidence for any particular theory. What will the 5th release reveal? We’ll just have to wait to find out.

Bottom line: The 4th batch of the Pentagon UAP files has just been released. The files range from a “floating brain” video to more historical documents, including from NASA.

Read more:

Video files can be seen and downloaded here

Document files can be seen and downloaded here

Image files can be seen and downloaded here

Audio files can be seen and downloaded here

Department of War Publishes Fourth Release of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Files on WAR.GOV/UFO

Pentagon releases fourth batch of UFO files

Fourth Release of UAP Encounter Documents

Pentagon releases new batch of UFO files: “Unlike anything I had seen”

Pentagon releases fourth batch of UFO files

Highlights from the Fourth UAP Data Release by the U.S. Government

The post 4th batch of Pentagon UAP files: ‘Floating brain’ goes viral first appeared on EarthSky.

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3 small constellations

Look for the Summer Triangle, a large asterism visible in the east on July evenings. It consists of three bright stars in three separate constellations. These stars are Vega, Deneb and Altair. If you can find the Summer Triangle, you can use it to locate three of the sky’s smallest constellations. They are Vulpecula the Fox, Delphinus the Dolphin and Sagitta the Arrow. All three are impossible to see from the city. But they’re lots of fun to pick out in a dark sky.

How can you find them? Look at the detailed chart above, and try picking out Vega, Deneb and Altair. Notice these three bright stars make a large triangle on the sky’s dome. Now – still using the chart – look within and around the Summer Triangle for Delphinus, Sagitta and Vulpecula.

Delphinus the Dolphin

Delphinus is a truly delightful little constellation that really resembles a dolphin leaping among the waves. Also, Delphinus is one of the earliest constellations, first cataloged by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century CE. Sometimes, Delphinus is said to be the dolphin that carried a Greek poet – Arion – safely away from his enemies. In another version of star lore, the Dolphin represented the dolphin sent by the sea god Poseidon to find Amphitrite, the Nereid he wanted to marry.

Sagitta the Arrow

Sagitta is the 3rd-smallest constellation in our sky, following Crux aka the Southern Cross and Equuleus. And Sagitta is near Vulpecula on the sky’s dome. Its name means “the arrow” in Latin. If you look for Sagitta, you’ll see why. This little star pattern does have a shape reminiscent of an arrow. Sagitta is also one of the earliest constellations, named by Ptolemy in the 2nd century. Sagitta is sometimes said to be an arrow shot from the bow of Hercules, the great mythological hero and god.

Vulpecula the Fox

Vulpecula means “little fox” in Latin. It’s the hardest to find of these three small constellations because it lacks a distinctive shape. Vulpecula is a relatively new constellation, introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in the late 17th century. Hevelius depicted Vulpecula as not just a fox, but as a fox carrying a goose in its mouth. He also named the goose Anser. Nowadays you can still see the fox and goose on old star charts. And Fox and Goose is a traditional British pub name, according to Ian Ridpath. If you have a dark sky, and you’re up for a binocular challenge, also try finding the Coathanger asterism in Vulpecula.

More about the Summer Triangle stars

Vega is bright and blue-white

Deneb is distant and luminous

Altair spins fast!

Bottom line: Although you need a dark country sky to see these three small constellations, they are worth hunting down. They are Vulpecula the Fox, Delphinus the Dolphin and Sagitta the Arrow. And they’re all near the Summer Triangle.

The post See 3 small constellations near the Summer Triangle first appeared on EarthSky.

August 12, 2026, total solar eclipse

The second solar eclipse of 2026 will be a total solar eclipse on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

At its longest, near the centerline over the North Atlantic between Greenland and Iceland, the total part of the eclipse will last 2 minutes and 18 seconds. This is a relatively short eclipse! Compare the time of totality to that of the Great North American Eclipse on April 8, 2024 (4 minutes and 28 seconds). Or compare it to the total solar eclipse of August 2, 2027 in North Africa, one of the longest of the 21st century (6 minutes and 23 seconds).

A popular eclipse destination in August 2026 will be Spain, where the eclipse will happen close to sunset. At most, observers in Spain will see 1 minute and 50 seconds of totality. But the sun will be only a few degrees above the western horizon during totality, creating the possibility of a spectacular darkened landscape below the eclipsed sun. Before the total solar eclipse of August 12, 2026, the last fully total solar eclipse visible from mainland Spain happened more than a century ago on August 30, 1905.

If you’re anywhere along the path of totality, there’s a chance you’ll see a Perseid meteor shoot by during totality! That’s because the Perseid meteor shower is peaking on eclipse day. For all of us, because the moon is new that day, it’s going to be a great year for the Perseids.

The total solar eclipse won’t be visible from North America. But northeastern North America will see a slight partial eclipse. The farther north you go on the North American continent, the deeper the partial eclipse will be. But it’ll never be total, from North America.

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Eclipse maps from EclipseAtlas.com

Michael Zeiler at EclipseAtlas.com is an amazing resource for total solar eclipses. The maps here are just a selection of his extensive and informative collection.

Who will see the partial eclipse?

Parts of western Europe will see a deep partial solar eclipse. Approximate maximum obscuration (fraction of the sun’s diameter covered):

Dublin: ~20–30%
Rome: ~20–30%
London: ~30–40%
Brussels/Amsterdam: ~40–50%
Paris: ~45–55%
Lisbon: ~70–80%
Madrid: 90%+ (outside but close to the path of totality)

The farther south and west you are in Europe, the deeper the partial eclipse generally becomes. In Spain, areas just outside the path of totality will see the sun reduced to a very thin crescent.

Meanwhile, the eclipse barely reaches North America.

Greenland: 80–100% (totality in parts)
Northern Labrador: roughly 40–70%, depending on location
Newfoundland: generally under 30%, with northeastern parts seeing the deepest partial eclipse
Eastern Canada: Kuujjuaq (far north): Just over 50% obscuration. Québec City: Around 24% obscuration.
Continental U.S. (lower 48): Best views from Maine (~19% in Portland). Boston 16%, New Haven, Connecticut (12%), New York City (9.5%), Washington D.C. (3.7%).

Visit TimeandDate.com for eclipsetimes in your location

Times of the August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse

Partial eclipse begins: at 15:34:11 UTC on August 12.
Total eclipse begins: at 16:58:05 UTC on August 12.
Greatest eclipse: at 17:45:53 UTC on August 12.
Total eclipse ends: at 18:34:05 UTC on August 12.
Partial eclipse ends: at 19:57:56 UTC on August 12.
Note: The instant of greatest eclipse – when the axis of the moon’s shadow cone passes closest to Earth’s center – takes place at 17:45:53 UTC. It’s a relatively short total eclipse with a maximum duration of totality lasting over 2 minutes (depending on your location).

Source: Eclipsewise.com

Animations and seeing the total solar eclipse from your location

Watch total solar eclipse animations and see maps at eclipseatlas.com

Watch an animation of the path of the annular solar eclipse at timeanddate.com

Watch an animation of the path of the annular eclipse at in-the-sky.org

Another animation of the eclipse at eclipsewise.com

Information for your location at timeanddate.com

Path of totality

The path of totality begins at 17:00 UTC along the Arctic coastline. It races north and passes near the North Pole at 17:06 UTC where it has 1 minute and 54 seconds of totality.

Next it races to Greenland hitting the coastline at 17:15 UTC with 2 minutes 6 seconds of totality. Greatest eclipse – 2 minutes 18 seconds – occurs at 17:45:57 UTC near the Denmark Strait. It continues on to Ireland, Portugal and Spain. Areas in northern Spain are just inside the path of totality and will see 20 seconds of totality. It continues on over Spain to the Mediterranean coast where it finally reaches its last landfall on the Balearic Islands. The eclipse ends at 18:34:05 UTC.

The eclipse path will last over 92 minutes and cover 5,157 miles (8,300 kilometers) – or just 0.47% – of the Earth.

Remember to convert UTC to your time. Note the different between UTC and UT1. You can visit timeanddate.com to get an exact timing of the eclipse from your location. The number one rule for solar eclipse observing is to make sure you protect your eyes by using an appropriate filter.

Moon, constellation, Saros

Greatest eclipse takes place a little over one day after the moon reaches perigee, its closest point to Earth for the month. During the August 12, 2026, eclipse, the sun is located in the direction of the constellation Leo.

This eclipse has a magnitude of 1.0386.

The Saros catalog describes the periodicity of eclipses. The eclipse belongs to Saros 126. It is number 48 of 72 eclipses in the series. All eclipses in this series occur at the moon’s descending node. The moon moves northward with respect to the node with each succeeding eclipse in the series.

Next eclipse and eclipse seasons

This total solar eclipse is followed in two weeks by a partial lunar eclipse on August 27-28.

These eclipses all take place during a single eclipse season.

An eclipse season is an approximate 35-day period during which it’s inevitable for at least two (and possibly three) eclipses to take place. The first eclipse season of 2026 had two eclipses: an annular solar eclipse on February 17 and a total lunar eclipse on March 2-3.

Bottom line: On August 12, 2026, a total solar eclipse will be visible including in parts of Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. And it’ll be visible as a partial eclipse from much of western Europe and North America.

The post The total solar eclipse of August 12, 2026 first appeared on EarthSky.

The second set of Manhattanhenge views will happen on the evenings of July 11 and 12, 2026.

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Manhattanhenge, and how to see it

Twice a year – around May 28, 29 and 30, and again around July 11 and 12 – people in New York City look for Manhattanhenge. It’s a phenomenon where the sunset aligns perfectly on east-west oriented streets of Manhattan. So cool!

In 2026, the second set of dates occur on July 11 (full sun at around 8:20 p.m. EDT) and 12 (half sun at around 8:21 p.m. EDT).

And the first set of Manhattanhenge dates fell on May 28 (half sun at about 8:14 p.m. EDT) and May 29 (full sun at about 8:13 p.m. EDT).

According to the American Museum of Natural History:

Four nights of the year, the streets of Manhattan’s grid become the site for a stunning sunset phenomenon known as Manhattanhenge. During Manhattanhenge, the sun sets in perfect alignment with Manhattan’s east-west numbered streets, creating cinema-worthy photo opportunities …

Where to watch it

Some of the best places to spot it are along 14th, 23rd, 34th (includes the Empire State Building), 42nd, 57th and 79th Streets.

Another good place is from the Tudor City Bridge in Manhattan (though it can be crowded) or Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City, Queens.

Regardless of where you watch the sunset, make sure you are as far east as possible while keeping New Jersey in the background across the Hudson River to accentuate the effect. Be sure to be somewhere that the view is unobstructed toward the Hudson River.

And keep in mind that Manhattanhenge draws large crowds, especially around the city’s landmarks.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on Manhattanhenge

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson coined the phrase Manhattanhenge. It’s a nod to the prehistoric monument Stonehenge in England, which was designed to frame the summer solstice sunrise and the winter solstice sunset. Manhattanhenge is accidental. It happens because Manhattan was built with a grid system of streets running north-south and east-west, Tyson explains in the video above.

Aligned sunsets

Each Manhattanhenge is two days. On one day the sun’s full disk aligns with the street grid, and then on the other day half the sun’s disk aligns with the street grid.

The two sets of aligned sunsets are centered around the dates of the summer solstice, leading to the effect’s other name, not as commonly used: the Manhattan Solstice.

Six months later, Reverse Manhattanhenge happens around the mornings around January 11, when the rising sun creates the same effect on the other side of the island at shortly after 7 a.m. EST.

Solstice and equinox alignments around the world

The phenomenon of Manhattanhenge is fun. And it’s one of many similar alignments that occur around the world on various dates. Think Stonehenge at the equinoxes and solstices.

The point of sunset along the horizon varies throughout the year. At this time of the year – before the June solstice – the sunset point is shifting northward each day on the horizon as seen from around the globe. It’s the northward-shifting path of the sun that gives us summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere. And it’s the shifting path of the sun that gives people various alignments of the sunset with familiar landmarks.

Watching Manhattanhenge

Here’s a video of Manhattanhenge on May 29, 2025.

Manhattanhenge 2025, live from 34th Street ?. pic.twitter.com/KAXXiOGs73

— 34th Street (@34thStNYC) May 30, 2025

Why does Manhattanhenge happen?

The June solstice on June 21 will bring the sun’s northernmost point in our sky and northernmost sunset. Afterward, the sun’s path in our sky, and the sunset point, will both start shifting southward again. As for the sun’s alignment with the city of New York, and the streets of Manhattan Island … well, thank the original planners of this city. Scientific American explained:

The phenomenon is based on a design for Manhattan outlined in The Commissioners’ Plan of 1811 for a rectilinear grid or gridiron of straight streets and avenues that intersect one another at right angles. This design runs from north of Houston Street in Lower Manhattan to just south of 155th Street in Upper Manhattan. Most cross streets in between were arranged in a regular right-angled grid that was tilted 29 degrees east of true north to roughly replicate the angle of the island of Manhattan.

And because of this 29-degree tilt in the grid, the magic moment of the setting sun aligning with Manhattan’s cross streets does not coincide with the June solstice but rather with specific dates in late May and early July.

It’s a great photo opportunity

Did you get a photo of Manhattanhenge? We’d love to see it! Submit it to us at EarthSky Community Photos.

Bottom line: Each year around May 28 and July 11, New Yorkers watch for Manhattanhenge, an alignment of the sunset along city streets. Here’s how to see it.

Read: Winter solstice at Stonehenge

Read more: Drought reveals a lost Spanish Stonehenge

The post It’s time for Manhattanhenge, part 2! Here’s how to see it first appeared on EarthSky.

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Of all the constellations of the zodiac, Scorpius the Scorpion is perhaps the easiest to find. With a little imagination, you can see its stars tracing the curved shape of a scorpion’s tail. The constellation has the shape of the letter J, with the curved bottom of the J representing the constellation Scorpion’s curved Tail. There’s even a Stinger, consisting of two stars – Shaula and Lesath – noticeable for their nearness to each other. And, central in the constellation, you’ll find a brilliant red star, Antares, the Scorpion’s Heart.

In a dark sky, you can also see many beautiful deep sky treasures – and the starry band of our home galaxy, the Milky Way – behind the constellation Scorpius.

How to find Scorpius from the Northern Hemisphere

For evening viewing, July and August are prime-time months for observing this wondrous constellation. In the Northern Hemisphere, we associate the ruby star Antares – or Ant-Ares, the “rival” of Mars – with the hot summer season. And you might have your own associations with this star during this season. For example, you might associate Antares with the blooming of certain red flowers on a favorite hiking trail.

Then, as the summer season wanes for us in this hemisphere, Antares’ fading into the southwestern dusk signals the cooler days of northern autumn.

At the beginning of July, in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, Scorpius climbs to its highest point in the sky in mid-evening. That’s true no matter where you are on the globe.

As seen from mid-northern latitudes, such as the central U.S., Scorpius’ arc is low across the southern sky. But Scorpius’ bright red star Antares can be seen as far north as southern Alaska.

How to find Scorpius from the Southern Hemisphere

Via Daniel Gaussen, Founder & Guide – Stargaze Mackenzie – New Zealand

Meanwhile, from the Southern Hemisphere, Scorpius rides gloriously high in the sky. It’s one of the most spectacular winter constellations. It climbs high into the northern sky, with red Antares amidst the glow of the Milky Way. It’s a star widely known as the Heart of the Scorpion.

The constellation Scorpius lies along one of the richest regions of our Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way appears brightest and most dense in this region because we are looking close to the galactic center, which lies between Scorpius and Sagittarius the Archer. From the Northern Hemisphere, you must look low in the south to see this region. But from the Southern Hemisphere, Scorpius, Sagittarius and the center of the Milky Way are all high overhead. The view is spectacular!

Many local New Zealanders now refer to their country as Aotearoa New Zealand. Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand; it widely translates to “land of the long white cloud.” In the Maori culture, the brilliant red star Antares in Scorpius is known as Rehua. This prominent star was an important marker in the seasonal cycle and is associated as a highly significant celestial being in Maori traditions.

The Maori didn’t see the constellation Scorpius seen as a scorpion. One well-known Maori interpretation is Te Matau a Maui – the fishhook of the demigod Maui. The curved shape of Scorpius resembles the legendary hook Maui was said to use to catch a great fish from the ocean, which became Te Ika-a-Maui (the North Island). In this tradition, Maui raised up the north island from his canoe Te Waka a Maui (the South Island).

The popular Disney franchise Moana comes in part from these Maori traditions related to the constellation Scorpius. To make the first Moana movie, filmmakers at Disney created what they called an Oceanic Trust: a group of anthropologists, linguists, historians, and elders from Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Hawaii, Fiji, and Aotearoa (New Zealand). They said the goal was to ensure the film respected the cultures that inspired it.

The Scorpion in Greek mythology

Greek legends about the Scorpion are quite different. In Greek mythology, it’s said that vain Orion the Hunter grew boastful about his hunting skills. He claimed there was no animal on Earth he couldn’t kill. When Orion began bragging, he would kill every animal, the Earth goddess Gaia sent Scorpius the Scorpion to sting and kill Orion. And thus, Scorpius and Orion became mortal enemies. It’s said that the king of the gods, Zeus, placed Orion and the Scorpion in the heavens in such a way that the two enemies would never meet.

That’s why – according to legend – you can never see these two constellations in the same sky together. Orion only rises after Scorpius has set. And the reverse is also true: Scorpius doesn’t rise until Orion’s departure. And thus, when the Scorpion is at its peak in visibility in the evening sky – high in the sky on late July or early August evenings – Orion is just returning to the east before sunrise.

Read more: Orion the Hunter returns before dawn

Sun’s passage in front of Scorpius

Given Scorpius’ great prominence in the sky, it’s ironic that the sun spends less time in front of the Scorpion than any other constellation of the zodiac. Each year, the sun shines in the constellation Scorpius for a week, from about November 22 through November 29. If these dates seem to be in conflict with what you read on a horoscope page, remember that astrologers are referring to the sign Scorpio, not the constellation Scorpius.

Astrologically speaking, when the sun reaches a point on the ecliptic – the sun’s yearly pathway in front of the stars – that’s 30 degrees to 60 degrees east of the September equinox point, then the sun is said to be in the sign Scorpio. That’s irrespective of which constellation or constellations lie behind the sun in the sky at this time. The sun passes through the sign Scorpio (not the constellation Scorpius) from about October 23 to November 21. But, in the sky, the sun is in front of the constellations Virgo the Maiden and then Libra the Scales during this same time period.

The astrological signs remain fixed relative to the solstice and equinox points. But, in the sky, these seasonal markers slowly shift westward relative to the constellations, or backdrop stars. Some 5,000 years ago, for instance, the star Antares marked the Northern Hemisphere’s September equinox point. In our day, Antares and the sun have their annual conjunction on or near December 1. That’s about three weeks before the December 21 solstice. Antares will mark the December solstice point some 1,500 years from now.

Scorpius and the zodiac

Early astronomers used key stars and easy-to-recognize star patterns (constellations) to track the motions of the sun, moon and planets upon the zodiac. That being the case, early astronomers were no doubt more inclined to use the “fixed” stars of Scorpius than of Ophiuchus for referencing the whereabouts of the wandering planets. After all, the ancients watched the red planet Mars pair up with the ruddy star Antares in recurring cycles.

And so, the Greeks saw Antares – Anti-Ares – as Mars’ rival.

Moreover, the moon routinely occults – passes in front of – Antares at certain stages in the moon’s 18.6-year cycle. There’s been monthly lunar occultations of Antares that began in December 2025 and will end in November 2026. Then they’ll start again in January 2027. Check out Elke Schulz’s photo of a recent lunar occultation of Antares on our Community Photos page.

Bottom line: Scorpius the Scorpion traces a J-shaped pattern of stars, making it easy to identify. It is also home to the brilliant red star Antares.

The constellations of the Zodiac

Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpius
Sagittarius
Capricornus
Aquarius
Pisces
Aries
Ophiuchus, the 13th zodiac constellation

The post Scorpius the Scorpion and its legendary stinger first appeared on EarthSky.

The waning crescent phase

You’ll see a waning crescent moon – sometimes called an old moon – in the east before dawn.

On each successive morning, a waning crescent moon will show us less and less of its lighted portion, or day side. Each day, it rises closer to the sunrise, heading for new moon, when the moon will be between the Earth and the sun.

The illuminated side of a waning crescent moon always points eastward, or in the direction of sunrise.

What’s more, the lit side of waning crescent points in the direction of the moon’s daily motion relative to the backdrop stars and planets of the zodiac. That direction is also east.

Many people miss the waning crescent moon because it’s a morning moon, visible before sunrise. But it’s fun to follow the waning crescent day by day, as it inches into the dawn glare.

EarthSky Community Photos for the waning crescent moon

The slender waning crescent moon

The phases of the moon

As the moon orbits Earth, it changes phase in an orderly way. Follow the links below to understand the phases of the moon.

New moon
Waxing crescent moon
First quarter moon
Waxing gibbous moon
Full moon
Waning gibbous moon
Last quarter moon
Waning crescent moon

Read more: 4 keys to understanding moon phases

Bottom line: You’ll find a waning crescent moon in the east before sunrise. It’s waning toward new moon, when the moon will be between the Earth and the sun.

Check out EarthSky’s guide to the bright planets and more

Top 4 keys to understanding moon phases

Help EarthSky keep going! Please donate

The post What is a waning crescent moon? first appeared on EarthSky.

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Euclid finds the most ancient quasars in the universe so far

ESA said on July 6, 2026, that the Euclid space telescope has discovered 31 of the most ancient quasars yet known. And that includes the two most ancient quasars ever spotted.

Quasars are the immensely bright cores of some galaxies, powered by actively feeding supermassive black holes.

These newly discovered quasars are the most distant yet spotted. In fact, they’re so distant that their light has taken over 12 billion years to reach us. That means we’re seeing these ancient monsters as they appeared over 12 billion years ago, in the universe’s infancy.

The two most distant of these quasars appear as they were when the universe was just 670 million years old, or 5% of its current age.

Daming Yang of Leiden University in the Netherlands is the lead author of the Euclid discovery paper. The researchers published their peer-reviewed paper on July 6, 2026, in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Yang said:

These early quasars date back to the universe’s infancy. By finding and studying them, we can better understand how these enormous systems formed and grew so quickly … one of the greatest mysteries in astrophysics.

What is a quasar?

Quasars are extremely bright objects in space, up to 1,000 times brighter than our Milky Way galaxy. And they’re extremely far away. We typically see these objects as they were when our universe was young.

So what exactly are they? Quasars are the extremely luminous centers of galaxies in their infancy. The rapidly growing black holes at the galaxies’ centers feed on the vast supply of available matter in the early universe. As they feed, the accretion disks around the black holes get superheated to millions of degrees. So the light that we call the quasar is a result of intense friction between dust, gas and other matter colliding as it swirls in toward the black hole.

Map of the most distant quasars

The Euclid space telescope’s mission is to map the large-scale structure of the universe. It does this by observing billions of galaxies across 1/3 of the entire sky. In operation now for three years, Euclid sees in both visible light and near-infrared.

The map below shows the location of the 31 new quasars Euclid discovered in relation to our Milky Way galaxy. The red dots are the two farthest and most ancient quasars yet.

Most distant and most ancient

When we look at distant objects in the universe, we are looking back in time. That’s because it takes a long time for the light to travel from their origin to our telescopes. So when we say that these quasars are the most distant known, that also means they are the earliest known. And that’s why we also describe them as the most ancient, because of how far back in time we see them.

It’s challenging spotting objects at such great distances from us. And the light of quasars can be hard to distinguish from the light of stars. Quasars aren’t numerous in the early universe, because few galaxies had had the time to grow large enough to produce quasars.

The light from those that did exist then had to travel for some 13 billion years to reach us. And by then their light waves have stretched far into the infrared, making them look like cool stars.

But of the 31 new quasars Euclid discovered, the Keck Observatory has already followed up with confirmation observations on 21 of them. NASA said:

The 31 quasars imaged by Euclid include 12 that date to the first 770 million years of the universe. Two others – the oldest ever documented – formed during the universe’s first 670 million years, and their light has taken some 13 billion light-years to reach Earth.

The record-setting most ancient quasars

The two quasars that are the most ancient of the new finds are EUCL J172902.75+641018.1 and EUCL J125308.55+705432.3. These quasars have redshifts of 7.77 and 7.69, respectively. A redshift is a way to measure how much the light from an object has stretched as it travels across the universe (and as the universe expands). Astronomers use redshifts to find the distance to an object. The larger the number of the redshift, the farther away the object is … and the farther back in time we see it.

In total, there were 12 quasars out of the 31 that have redshifts greater than 7. A redshift of 7 equals a light travel time of 12.888 billion years. The two most ancient quasars appear as they were more than 13 billion years ago, when the universe was just 670 million years old.

Indeed, it had taken more than a decade for astronomers to find the first 10 quasars with redshifts of more than 7. And now Euclid has found a dozen in a single year.

Will Euclid be able to find a quasar with a redshift of 8 or larger? It’s possible. A redshift that high would mean the object existed when the universe was less than 630 million years old.

Watch the video below to zoom into a quasar in the early universe.

Artist’s animation depicting a wave of ancient quasars discovered from the dawn of the universe. Video via W. M. Keck Observatory/ Adam Makarenko. Image of Keck Observatory by Andrew Hara.

What do the quasars tell us about our universe?

Euclid’s sensitivity allows it to discover “ordinary” quasars, and not just those that are the brightest of the bright. This will help astronomers get a better picture of what a typical quasar is like. Eduardo Bañados of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy explained the importance of seeing typical quasars and not just the outliers:

We now have a real window onto how the bulk of the first black holes grew, and how they shaped the galaxies around them.

Silvia Belladitta of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and colleagues looked closer at the most distant quasar of the bunch. Belladitta said:

We found a galaxy that has all the ingredients to build a giant system: it is as massive as the hosts of the brightest early quasars and contains a huge reservoir of molecular gas to fuel intense star formation. This raises an intriguing possibility. Ultraviolet-faint quasars like EUCL J125308.55+705432.3 may be in a different evolutionary phase than their brighter cousins. Either the black hole is growing more slowly than in the brightest quasars, or else much of its activity is hidden behind thick clouds of dust. Distinguishing between these possibilities will be an exciting challenge for future observations.

Bottom line: The Euclid space telescope has discovered 31 new quasars, including the two most ancient – and most distant – quasars yet known.

Source: Euclid: Discovery of 31 new quasars at 6.6 < z < 7.8

Via:

ESA

NASA

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

Keck Observatory

UC Santa Barbara

The post Euclid finds the most ancient quasars in the universe so far first appeared on EarthSky.