New Images Show the 60-Foot Crater a SpaceX Rocket Left on the Moon
discovermagazine - Learn more about the impact left by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and the global collaboration that helped experts capture detailed iamges of it.
AI Summary: High‑resolution NASA imagery has revealed a roughly 60‑foot crater on the lunar surface attributed to an out‑of‑control SpaceX rocket stage. Scientists are studying the impact site for both forensic clues and broader implications for orbital disposal practices, reminding space industry players that “oops” leaves visible traces on the Moon.
The 2026 Total Solar Eclipse Will Darken Parts of Europe Today — How and Where to See It, and Why Totality Is a Rare Event
discovermagazine - Learn where, when, and how to see the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12, 2026.
AI Summary: A long-awaited total solar eclipse swept across parts of Europe and North America on Aug. 12, plunging narrow corridors into temporary twilight and sending skywatchers scrambling for eclipse glasses. Observers and experts delivered viewing times, safety advice and explanations for why each eclipse looks different — because yes, celestial mechanics are picky.
- Maps, historical context and future eclipses (3)
- Photos, public reaction and animal behavior (3)
- Safety, viewing gear and eye health (4)
- Where and when to watch the Aug. 12 eclipse (4)
- All Other Stories
Maps, historical context and future eclipses
Photos, public reaction and animal behavior
Safety, viewing gear and eye health
Where and when to watch the Aug. 12 eclipse
All Other Stories
First photos of SpaceX lunar rocket crash show blackened hole torn into the moon's surface
livescience - New images from South Korea's Danuri lunar orbiter reveal where a runaway SpaceX rocket part slammed into the moon on Wednesday.
AI Summary: High-resolution images captured the scar left by a crashing SpaceX rocket stage, revealing a darkened crater and ejecta pattern on the lunar surface. Scientists and engineers are combing the data to assess impact dynamics and surface effects while the public gawks at a reminder that even aerospace mishaps make for memorable headlines.
'It's absolutely exciting!': Astronomers discover an atmosphere around an Earth-like planet in the habitable zone for first time ever
livescience - Astronomers have detected helium escaping from the super-Earth LHS 1140 b, providing the strongest evidence yet that a rocky planet in another star's habitable zone has retained an atmosphere for billions of years.
AI Summary: Astronomers have for the first time identified an atmosphere around a rocky, Earth‑size planet in the habitable zone some 48 light‑years away, using sensitive spectral observations. The detection opens a new chapter in exoplanet characterization and the search for habitability, offering a rare real‑world target for follow‑up instead of speculative headlines.
'Fireball' meteorite that smashed into New Jersey home contains ingredients of life from an ancient proto-planet, study finds
livescience - Amino acids and other "pre-biotic" molecules were spotted in a meteorite that crashed into a New Jersey home in 2024.
AI Summary: A meteorite that exploded into a New Jersey house has been analyzed and found to contain organic compounds and other materials suggesting origins on an ancient proto-planet. The find offers fresh clues about prebiotic chemistry delivered to Earth by meteorites — and yes, it literally fell through someone's roof to make the point.
18 ancient Egyptian tombs with dozens of gold 'tongues' discovered along the Mediterranean coast
livescience - Archaeologists have found 18 tombs at an ancient Egyptian site by the Mediterranean coast of Egypt.
AI Summary: Archaeologists uncovered dozens of gold 'tongues' and weapon-rich burials in newly excavated Egyptian tombs dating nearly 4,000 years, including interments of women with bows and blades. The discoveries challenge assumptions about gender roles in ancient Egypt and add ornate burial goods that hint at complex social and ritual identities.
'A weird result from an already weird hominin': Archaeologists discover all Homo naledi skeletons found in South African cave are female
livescience - A cutting-edge analysis of the teeth from Homo naledi skeletons in a South African cave system found no males within the group. Experts are unsure what to make of the finding.
AI Summary: Researchers report that the Homo naledi remains from a South African cave are predominantly, perhaps exclusively, female — a puzzling pattern that upends simple burial explanations and fuels debate about ancient social behaviour. The finding forces a rethink of mortuary practices and raises intriguing questions about population structure and site use.
NASA confirms meteor exploded over northeastern US with force of 230 tons of TNT
livescience - NASA shared an initial analysis of a 5-foot-wide fireball meteor that exploded in the sky over the northeastern U.S. on Saturday, May 30.
AI Summary: NASA confirmed a meteor exploded over the northeastern United States with an energy release equivalent to hundreds of tons of TNT, producing a loud boom and ground-shaking reports. The event offered a rare, dramatic reminder that space still throws curveballs at Earth — and that skywatching can be unexpectedly explosive.
Blue Moon 2026: An extremely rare micromoon rises tonight
livescience - A rare Blue Moon, the second full moon in May, will also be a "micromoon" near its farthest point from Earth.
AI Summary: A rare "blue micromoon" peaked in late May 2026: a second full moon in a calendar month that coincided with a slightly smaller apparent lunar size due to perigee/apogee timing. Skywatchers were urged to look up for this quirky celestial double‑feature — same moon, different calendar trickery, minimal lunar mood swings guaranteed.
A Hidden Design Feature May Explain How the Great Pyramid Survives Earthquakes
discovermagazine - Learn how the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt may weaken earthquake vibrations above the King’s Chamber, helping the ancient structure survive centuries of seismic shaking.
AI Summary: Researchers have identified a subtle design element in the Great Pyramid’s construction that likely dissipates seismic forces, explaining its remarkable survival through millennia of earthquakes. Structural analysis and modeling suggest ancient builders intentionally—or felicitously—created a geometry that buffers shocks, offering fresh admiration for prehistoric engineering and new lessons for modern seismic design inspiration.
Newly discovered, blue-whale-size asteroid will fly super close to Earth Monday — and you can watch it live
livescience - Newly spotted asteroid 2026 JH2, which could be up to 115 feet wide, will fly past Earth closer than some satellites on Monday (May 18). The close approach will be visible to stargazers and can be viewed via livestream.
AI Summary: A newly discovered, blue‑whale‑sized asteroid will make a very close pass by Earth on Monday, offering astronomers and the public a live observational spectacle. Officials stress this is an extraordinary tracking and science opportunity, not a disaster scenario, as teams scramble to collect imagery and spectra to learn about its composition and orbit.
Runners have finally completed a sub 2-hour marathon, but another running world record was recently smashed — this time by a humanoid robot. Here's how.
livescience - The D1 humanoid robot, built by a smartphone manufacturer, has beaten the human-held world record by around seven minutes.
AI Summary: Two elite athletes have crossed a long-standing human performance line by completing a marathon in under two hours, a landmark moment for endurance sport. The achievement rewrites expectations, prompts fresh debate about pacing and conditions, and hands scientists and coaches new data to dissect — plus the inevitable breathless headlines and humblebragging training plans to follow.
Lyrid meteor shower 2026: See spring's first rain of 'shooting stars' peak in moonless skies
livescience - Expect bright fireballs during the Lyrid meteor shower, which will peak in moonless skies on April 22, 2026.
AI Summary: The Lyrid meteor shower reaches its spring peak in moonless skies, giving skywatchers a chance to spot a steady stream of meteors. Best viewing is away from city lights on the peak nights, no telescope required—just patience, a blanket and realistic expectations. It’s nature’s modest, low‑budget fireworks display.
Artemis II Crew Returned to Earth Safely — What's Next for NASA's Moon Exploration Program?
discovermagazine - Learn about the future of NASA's Artemis program after Artemis II, including plans to land on the Moon and begin building a lunar base in 2028.
AI Summary: The Artemis II crew splashed down safely after completing humanity’s first crewed lunar flyby in decades, returning with debriefs, vivid descriptions of the Earth-from-afar view, and a surprisingly grounded sense of humor. NASA outlined next steps for the Artemis program while teams begin analyzing flight data and planning future missions — jet lag notwithstanding.
Artemis II officially leaves Earth's orbit on the way to the moon
livescience - With a successful translunar injection burn, NASA's Artemis II mission stopped circling Earth and began the first crewed journey toward the moon since the Apollo era.
AI Summary: NASA’s Artemis II mission has lifted off and cleared Earth’s orbit, sending a diverse crew toward lunar proximity on a high-profile test flight. The launch marked a milestone in human space exploration with live crew messaging, extensive imagery and final mission preparations now shifting to in‑flight systems checks — cue the world watching nervously and proudly.
- Countdown and launch: final checks, liftoff and eyewitness reaction (5)
- Lunar flyby updates: images, science, communication and a heat-shield concern (7)
- Other coverage: culture, families, and broader science context (4)
- Records shattered: farthest, fastest human spaceflight milestones (4)
- All Other Stories
Countdown and launch: final checks, liftoff and eyewitness reaction
Lunar flyby updates: images, science, communication and a heat-shield concern
Other coverage: culture, families, and broader science context
Records shattered: farthest, fastest human spaceflight milestones
All Other Stories
NASA's Artemis II rocket rolls to launch pad in final bid to meet April deadline
livescience - A series of leaks means the coming launch window will be NASA's final attempt to meet its April mission deadline.
AI Summary: NASA rolled the Artemis II crewed rocket to the launch pad in final preparations to meet an April window, ramping up system checks, timelines and the kind of last‑minute drama mission control lives for. Teams are vetting hardware and schedules to avoid an all‑too‑familiar slip.
- At mission control: NASA's $20B moonbase and nuclear spacecraft plans (3)
- Frontline concerns: radiation and medical risks for lunar crews (3)
- On the pad: Artemis II races to meet April launch (2)
- OTHER: unrelated tech and business story (1)
- All Other Stories
At mission control: NASA's $20B moonbase and nuclear spacecraft plans
Frontline concerns: radiation and medical risks for lunar crews
On the pad: Artemis II races to meet April launch
OTHER: unrelated tech and business story
All Other Stories
Spousal loss linked to higher risk of dementia and mortality among men, but not women
medicalxpress - The loss of a spouse is an incredibly emotional and stressful experience, and as populations continue to live longer lives, more couples will experience this distress. But spousal bereavement appears to affect genders differently, according to a new study…
AI Summary: NASA’s Van Allen Probe A experienced unexpected atmospheric drag after extreme solar and space weather, hastening reentry nearly a decade sooner than planned. The agency tracked the 1,300‑pound spacecraft’s uncontrolled descent, warned of low public risk, and used the episode as a reminder that space is not always a calm vacuum.
NASA fixes Artemis II rocket for April launch to take astronauts around moon
livescience - NASA's Artemis II is on track to shoot for the moon in April after engineers fixed the helium issue that grounded the mission's rocket last month.
AI Summary: NASA engineers addressed a helium system problem on the Artemis II launch vehicle and adjusted the mission timeline, targeting an April launch window after corrective work. The fix reduces technical risk and keeps the crewed lunar flyby mission on track, reminding everyone that rockets demand more tinkering than user manuals suggest.
NASA updates odds that 'city killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 will hit the moon
livescience - The "city killer" asteroid 2024 YR4 won't hit Earth or the moon when it whizzes by in 2032, the latest James Webb Space Telescope observations confirm.
AI Summary: Astronomers using new observational data have confirmed that asteroid 2024 YR4 will not collide with the Moon in 2032. Updated trajectory analyses show the object will pass by safely, eliminating earlier speculation about a catastrophic lunar impact. Space agencies will continue monitoring, because of course the cosmos loves a suspenseful plot twist.
Stone Age boy in Sweden was buried in deerskin and a woodpecker headdress, archaeologists discover
livescience - A new method of studying the contents of soil samples has revealed Stone Age people in Sweden were buried in decorated fur-and-feather clothing.
AI Summary: Archaeologists using novel soil‑analysis techniques uncovered a richly dressed Stone Age burial in Sweden: a child interred with deerskin clothing and a woodpecker‑feather headdress. The find rewrites assumptions about funerary dress and social expression in prehistoric northern Europe, revealing symbolic behavior and craftsmanship previously invisible in the soil.