Drifting SpaceX rocket heading for accidental collision with moon
Here's what's trending across India right now:
Prefer the Guardian on Google A drifting SpaceX rocket is on a collision course with the moon after launching a pair of lunar landers more than a year ago.
Adding to this, The rocket’s upper stage will unintentionally slam into the moon on Wednesday, carving out a crater and sending up a plume of dust and rubble that scientists – and sky gazers – are eager to observe.
Meanwhile, Space tracking expert Bill Gray predicts an impact of 5,400mph (8,700km/h) – seven times the speed of sound – near Einstein Crater on the moon’s sunlit western limb. With the action unfolding in the wee hours of the morning for the US, the eastern portions of the US and Canada, and much of South America, should have the best views.
Notably, While scientists are not too concerned about this particular piece of space junk , it highlights the growing threat as more and more items cram into orbit.
As per the latest buzz, It was never SpaceX’s intent to hit the moon. But space experts shared the crash could have been avoided if the upper stage had been nudged into orbit around the sun.
In further updates, It will be the second dead rocket known to crash into the moon accidentally. A Chinese rocket segment dug out a pair of craters on the lunar far side in 2022.
On top of that, The new smashup will occur on the moon’s near side, packing the equivalent energy of three tons of TNT explosives.
The impact flash, lasting less than a second, will probably be too dim to see from Earth, according to experts. But the stream of ejected material could stretch for several miles into space and remain visible to telescopes for tens of minutes.
Source: The Guardian