Vitus Bering was an explorer who proved that Asia and North America are not joined by land. In 1728 Bering sailed from the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean through a narrow passage that now bears his name—the Bering Strait. On a second voyage, Bering explored Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. On July 13, 1728, Bering sailed from the Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia, eastern Russia. In August his ship passed through the Bering Strait into the Arctic Ocean. Bering concluded that North America was not joined to Asia. Before he could explore further, bad weather forced him to return to Russia.