The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is on a collision course with the Moon and is expected to hit it early Wednesday morning.
The rocket's upper stage is expected to impact the Moon on August 5 at high speed, approximately 5,400 mph, leaving a crater about 89 feet wide.
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The Falcon 9 rocket is a unique reusable two-stage rocket designed to reliably and safely deliver people and cargo to low-Earth orbit and beyond.
When launched into space, the upper stage of the rocket is jettisoned and remains in orbit.
The SpaceX rocket participated in the launch on January 15, 2025. Experts believe the rocket's impact with the surface could create visible debris trails that could be used by some sensitive telescopes.
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It was the full moon on Halloween night, October 31, 2020, which also happened to be the smallest and most distant full moon of 2020, and a "blue moon," as any full moon on the 31st of a month is, meaning the second full moon of a calendar month. Being a full moon, it featured bright rays emanating from recent meteorite impacts, particularly large craters like Tycho (bottom) and Copernicus (left). In fact, the full moon was about 12 hours earlier, so a slight phase is visible here, and the terminator is visible on the eastern edge of the moon on the right. This is a single image taken with the Astro-Physics 130mm EDF refractor with a 2x AP Barlow lens (for a focal length of 1600mm) and a Canon 6D MkII at ISO 100, as part of a series of images featuring the supermoon at perigee in six months. I processed this image to enhance contrast and color saturation to highlight the subtle color differences in the areas where the mares are located. The image was taken through high clouds.
According to the Universities Space Research Association, debris plumes can reach heights of nine to twelve miles above the moon's surface in what's known as an "ejecta curtain"—a ring-shaped layer of rock and dust ejected outward and upward through the air or space.
This will also result in the formation of large amounts of dust and debris in the central ejecta, reaching altitudes of approximately 47 to 60 miles above the lunar surface.
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The impact will create a striking contrast with the darkness of space around the Moon, but will only last a few minutes.
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The head-on collision is expected to occur near Einstein Crater at approximately 2:35 a.m. ET Wednesday.
NASA is preparing for a major spacewalk to repair and upgrade the International Space Station.
This provides a unique opportunity to observe a lunar impact in real time and collect data on the impacts of such events on the Moon, while also considering the hazards and challenges astronauts may face on future missions.
Original article: SpaceX rocket parts will fall to the Moon tonight. Here's what you need to know.