A dead SpaceX rocket hits the moon Aug 5. Will astronomers report seeing its impact plume from Earth before Aug 9?
52% of users predicted NO — the community missed this one. 27 predictions cast.
Astronomers did report observing the impact plume from the spent SpaceX rocket stage that struck the moon on August 5, 2026. The Falcon 9 upper stage, in orbit since a January 2025 lunar-lander launch, hit the moon's surface near Einstein Crater on the sunlit western limb at roughly 5,400 mph (8,700 kph) around 06:35 UTC. The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile detected spectral lines of sodium and lithium gas in the resulting debris plume, which lasted five to ten minutes after impact and spanned a few tens of kilometers; researchers said the sodium likely came from lunar soil while the lithium may have originated from the rocket stage itself. Scientists had been watching for the event for weeks because its trajectory and impact time were predictable, giving observatories advance notice to point their instruments at the site. The community was nearly split on the outcome, with only 48 percent voting yes across 27 votes, while the event resolved yes.