NASA is once again scrambling to send humans to the Moon. Meanwhile. China is racing ahead and wants to get there first. The reason for this race is not just to colonise the Moon, but also to lay their hands on a very important element. Moon’s regolith, or the lunar soil, is rich in Helium-3, which is a light, non-radioactive isotope. Since it does not have a protective magnetic field, solar wind has successfully deposited the material on the Moon over billions of years. Humans have known about it and have found a significant use for Helium-3. According to the European Space Agency, this element can be used to create clean electricity using fusion reactors, which will be free from dangerous radioactive waste. The current nuclear fission technology is radioactive, but helium-3 would "not be radioactive and would not produce dangerous waste products."Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-shocked-to-learn-that-earth-s-electric-charges-are-flipped-details-1762512252294">Scientists shocked to learn that Earth's electric charges are flipped - Details</a>&nbsp;<h2>Race to the Moon - Who will get there first?</h2>But Earth has a dearth of helium-3, which is produced with the slow decay of tritium in nuclear stockpiles. Only about a few thousand litres of it are produced each year. However, the Moon is estimated to be a treasure trove of the element, and could hold an estimated million metric tons of it, scattered across the top layer of lunar soil. The idea was first proposed by Apollo geologist Harrison Schmidt decades ago. So now, the US, China, Russia, India and Europe are racing to put a mark on the Moon, since whoever reaches there first is likely to hold control over the resources. There are plans to build permanent bases on the lunar surface to exploit valuable metals. It will also be used to launch a mission to Mars and finally send humans to the Red Planet.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-data-shows-3i-atlas-suddenly-sped-up-changed-path-after-perihelion-1762427938689">NASA database shows 3I/ATLAS suddenly sped up, changed path after perihelion: Report</a>&nbsp;Even though it is yet to become a reality, with NASA and China's plans fixed for by the end of this decade, agreements and contracts are already being entered here on Earth. ZME Science reported that in September 2025, Helsinki-based cryogenics firm Bluefors signed an agreement with startup Interlune to purchase up to 1,000 litres of lunar helium-3 every year. The deal is worth a whopping $300 million. Blue Origin has announced Project Oasis, under which it will map lunar resources such as water ice and helium-3 from orbit.&nbsp;But who will win this race? NASA's acting chief, Sean Duffy, said a few weeks ago that there is no way that China will get there first. Meanwhile, Beijing is determined to land humans on the Moon soon and explore the south pole, which is believed to contain water ice. No matter who gets there first, the one challenge that remains is helium-3 fusion. Gerald Kulcinski at the University of Wisconsin–Madison even built a small reactor to explore this, but no one has yet achieved a fusion reaction with a net energy gain for longer than a few minutes. &nbsp;

The race to the moon is not only influenced by the dream to put man on the moon again, but also because of the abundant resources it offers. One such element has long been proposed to produce clean fuel, and Earth does not make enough of it.

NASA is once again scrambling to send humans to the Moon. Meanwhile. China is racing ahead and wants to get there first. The reason for this race is not just to colonise the Moon, but also to lay their hands on a very important element. Moon’s regolith, or the lunar soil, is rich in Helium-3, which is a light, non-radioactive isotope. Since it does not have a protective magnetic field, solar wind has successfully deposited the material on the Moon over billions of years. Humans have known about it and have found a significant use for Helium-3. According to the European Space Agency, this element can be used to create clean electricity using fusion reactors, which will be free from dangerous radioactive waste. The current nuclear fission technology is radioactive, but helium-3 would "not be radioactive and would not produce dangerous waste products." Also Read: Scientists shocked to learn that Earth's electric charges are flipped - Details Race to the Moon - Who will get there first? But Earth has a dearth of helium-3, which is produced with the slow decay of tritium in nuclear stockpiles. Only about a few thousand litres of it are produced each year. However, the Moon is estimated to be a treasure trove of the element, and could hold an estimated million metric tons of it, scattered across the top layer of lunar soil. The idea was first proposed by Apollo geologist Harrison Schmidt decades ago. So now, the US, China, Russia, India and Europe are racing to put a mark on the Moon, since whoever reaches there first is likely to hold control over the resources. There are plans to build permanent bases on the lunar surface to exploit valuable metals. It will also be used to launch a mission to Mars and finally send humans to the Red Planet. Also Read: NASA database shows 3I/ATLAS suddenly sped up, changed path after perihelion: Report Even though it is yet to become a reality, with NASA and China's plans fixed for by the end of this decade, agreements and contracts are already being entered here on Earth. ZME Science reported that in September 2025, Helsinki-based cryogenics firm Bluefors signed an agreement with startup Interlune to purchase up to 1,000 litres of lunar helium-3 every year. The deal is worth a whopping $300 million. Blue Origin has announced Project Oasis, under which it will map lunar resources such as water ice and helium-3 from orbit. But who will win this race? NASA's acting chief, Sean Duffy, said a few weeks ago that there is no way that China will get there first. Meanwhile, Beijing is determined to land humans on the Moon soon and explore the south pole, which is believed to contain water ice. No matter who gets there first, the one challenge that remains is helium-3 fusion. Gerald Kulcinski at the University of Wisconsin–Madison even built a small reactor to explore this, but no one has yet achieved a fusion reaction with a net energy gain for longer than a few minutes.

The race to the moon is not only influenced by the dream to put man on the moon again, but also because of the abundant resources it offers. One such element has long been proposed to produce clean fuel, and Earth doesn't make enough of it.

Earth’s nearest body hides space's most valuable element, and mining missions are on

Forget asteroid 2024 YR4; two space rocks crashed into the Moon last week. A Japanese astronomer observed two massive bursts of light on the Moon and started scrambling for answers. Experts have now ascertained that it was the result of two asteroid strikes that likely gouged two massive craters on the lunar surface. The first one crashed on October 30, with the second following on November 1. The collisions were captured by Daichi Fujii, an astronomer and curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum. He shared footage of the event, explaining where the asteroids came from and why the phenomenon was visible. “Since the moon has no atmosphere, meteors cannot be seen, and it lights up at the moment a crater is formed,” Fujii wrote on X. He stated that the burst of light likely happened either from the Southern Taurid Meteor Shower or the Northern Meteor Shower.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/comet-fragment-travelling-at-81-000-km-hr-explodes-over-portugal-a-second-one-recorded-nearby-1762333330392">Comet fragment travelling at 81,000 km/hr explodes over Portugal, a second one recorded nearby</a> &nbsp;<h2>Massive craters gouged on the Moon by the two asteroids</h2>Fujii told Space.com that the first meteoroid weighed around 0.18 kg and would have created a 10-foot-wide crater on impact. He believes that the impact was possibly bigger than what the telescope saw since the pixels were saturated. &nbsp;The second asteroid that struck the moon on November 1 also likely came from the same Halloween meteor shower. In the absence of an atmosphere, meteors race at staggering speeds towards the Moon with nothing to slow them down. Some of them travel at speeds of 257,000 km/hr. This resulted in the bright burst of light that Fujii captured. Experts say that such events are not uncommon on the Moon. The only difference was that this time, Fujii was lucky enough to get the events on camera twice.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/3i-atlas-lacks-clear-cometary-tail-in-new-images-post-perihelion-1762398494239">3I/ATLAS lacks clear cometary tail in new images post-perihelion, as 2 new oddities are added</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">昨夜は、上弦の月の夜側に月面衝突閃光が出現しました！2025年10月30日20時33分13.4秒の閃光です(270fps,0.03倍速再生)。月は大気がないため流星は見られず、クレーターができる瞬間に光ります。衝突領域から考えると、現在ピークを迎えている、おうし座南流星群や北流星群由来の可能性があります。 <a href="https://t.co/MM3xleCZSJ">pic.twitter.com/MM3xleCZSJ</a>&mdash; 藤井大地 (@dfuji1) <a href="https://twitter.com/dfuji1/status/1984025968437293284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>Earth is in danger from lunar debris in 2032</h2>Meanwhile, the Moon could be slammed by asteroid 2024 YR4 in 2032. The event is more than six years away, but scientists are intrigued to see what happens. Right now, there is a 3.8 to 4.3 per cent chance that it would crash into the Moon. It measures around 220 feet and can create another crater on the Moon. When it was discovered, scientists feared that it was on a trajectory towards Earth. But that changed weeks later. The James Webb Space Telescope is regularly observing the asteroid to make sure it doesn't pose a threat to our planet. But even if it doesn't collide with Earth, the debris generated by the lunar collision would pose a danger to satellites and astronauts on the International Space Station. It would also create a meteor shower that we will see for years to come.&nbsp;This is why NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is considering blowing up the asteroid. NASA already practised it on the Dimorphos asteroid moonlet in 2022 as part of the DART mission.&nbsp;

The Moon was struck by two asteroids last week, and the activity was caught on camera by a Japanese astronomer. The impact has likely gouged craters several feet wide. There were massive bursts of light upon collision.

Forget asteroid 2024 YR4; two space rocks crashed into the Moon last week. A Japanese astronomer observed two massive bursts of light on the Moon and started scrambling for answers. Experts have now ascertained that it was the result of two asteroid strikes that likely gouged two massive craters on the lunar surface. The first one crashed on October 30, with the second following on November 1. The collisions were captured by Daichi Fujii, an astronomer and curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum. He shared footage of the event, explaining where the asteroids came from and why the phenomenon was visible. “Since the moon has no atmosphere, meteors cannot be seen, and it lights up at the moment a crater is formed,” Fujii wrote on X. He stated that the burst of light likely happened either from the Southern Taurid Meteor Shower or the Northern Meteor Shower. Also Read: Comet fragment travelling at 81,000 km/hr explodes over Portugal, a second one recorded nearby Massive craters gouged on the Moon by the two asteroids Fujii told Space.com that the first meteoroid weighed around 0.18 kg and would have created a 10-foot-wide crater on impact. He believes that the impact was possibly bigger than what the telescope saw since the pixels were saturated. The second asteroid that struck the moon on November 1 also likely came from the same Halloween meteor shower. In the absence of an atmosphere, meteors race at staggering speeds towards the Moon with nothing to slow them down. Some of them travel at speeds of 257,000 km/hr. This resulted in the bright burst of light that Fujii captured. Experts say that such events are not uncommon on the Moon. The only difference was that this time, Fujii was lucky enough to get the events on camera twice. Also Read: 3I/ATLAS lacks clear cometary tail in new images post-perihelion, as 2 new oddities are added

The Moon was struck by two asteroids last week, and the activity was caught on camera by a Japanese astronomer. The impact has likely gouged craters several feet wide. There were massive bursts of light upon collision.

Twin asteroids smash into the Moon, triggering burst of light seen from Earth

The Artemis Moon mission is in trouble. SpaceX is now falling behind schedule on the Starship lunar lander, forcing NASA to take drastic action. The agency just launched an open call, inviting rivals like Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin to submit new designs for the crucial Human Landing System. This multi-billion US dollar development is a seismic shift in the new space race. Will Elon Musk be booted from the history-making return to the Moon? We break down the crippling delays, the high-stakes engineering challenge, and the future of America's path to the lunar surface.

What SpaceX Out of NASA's Moon Mission, Big Blow to Musk!

The lunar orbiter of India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2, launched in 2019, has made the first-ever observation of the effects of the Sun's Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on the Moon.


Chandrayaan-2 becomes first mission to observe Sun's impact on Moon

A scientist has claimed that the Moon once housed an ancient city and that the United States and Russia hid evidence about it from the public. However, according to him, India and China are in the process of making these revelations once their upcoming expeditions to the Moon successfully land on the surface. Author and geologist Gregg Braden told podcast host Joe Rogan that the Moon still has remnants of a long-lost human civilisation that lived there 50,000 years ago. Daily Mail quoted him as saying that "they're from us, from a time in our past", but we "destroyed one another through war, and that we're repeating that cycle." Braden said that the US found proof of this society long ago, but chose to keep it a secret. But now, China's robotic Chang'e 7 mission and India's Chandrayaan-4 are set to make the bombshell revelation "on national TV, social media, and official space agency apps."&nbsp;Notably, India is planning to launch the Chandrayaan 4 mission in 2027, while China's Chang'e 7 mission is scheduled to be launched in 2026. Both missions will include robotic landers and rovers, which Braden says will come across archaeological structures from thousands of years ago, which are covered in languages that bear a connection to human cultures. Braden has previously claimed in his books that humans who lived on the moon came from a long-lost civilisation on Earth that inhabited the planet 50,000 years ago. They were technologically advanced and developed technology that let them travel to the Moon. However, they killed each other in a war, triggering a mass extinction. "The evidence suggests they're from us, from a time in our past, a cycle of civilisation where we did great and beautiful things by working together until we destroyed one another through war, and that we're repeating that cycle," Braden claimed in the podcast.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/3i-atlas-first-contact-or-existential-threat-netizens-are-convinced-nasa-and-esa-are-hiding-something-1759728703636">3I/Atlas, 'first contact or existential threat'? Netizens are convinced NASA and ESA are hiding something</a> &nbsp;<h2>NASA data has never shown any such structures on the Moon</h2>However, nothing like this has ever been documented before by any space agency. None of the observations about the Moon to date have shown signs of any civilisation ever being on the lunar body. NASA's Lunar Sample Compendium and high-resolution images taken of the Moon do not show any scientific evidence of artificial structures or inscriptions on the Moon. However, Braden claims photographs from NASA's Clementine mission revealed structures on the moon with 90-degree angles, which he claims were built by an ancient civilisation millennia ago.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/infant-rogue-planet-620-light-years-away-growing-by-6-billion-tonnes-per-second-1759473703794">Infant rogue planet 620 light-years away growing by 6 billion tonnes per second</a> &nbsp;To back his claims, Braden cites the moon landings and unconfirmed stories that Apollo astronauts allegedly saw structures and writings on the moon. According to reports, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin saw a large metallic structure on the Moon's far side during their 1969 mission. But NASA abruptly cancelled the signal just as the radio transmissions started describing it as a "base". "I think when our space program was active, there were broadcasts from the lunar surface that were cut off, and astronauts had seen things that they were not allowed to see and not allowed to share," Braden claimed during the podcast.&nbsp;

A scientist has made a strange claim about the Moon, stating that 50,000 years ago, a civilisation that spiralled from humans lived on the lunar body. He claims US and Russia hid evidence about it, but now India and China will uncover the truth with their upcoming missions.

A scientist has claimed that the Moon once housed an ancient city and that the United States and Russia hid evidence about it from the public. However, according to him, India and China are in the process of making these revelations once their upcoming expeditions to the Moon successfully land on the surface. Author and geologist Gregg Braden told podcast host Joe Rogan that the Moon still has remnants of a long-lost human civilisation that lived there 50,000 years ago. Daily Mail quoted him as saying that "they're from us, from a time in our past", but we "destroyed one another through war, and that we're repeating that cycle." Braden said that the US found proof of this society long ago, but chose to keep it a secret. But now, China's robotic Chang'e 7 mission and India's Chandrayaan-4 are set to make the bombshell revelation "on national TV, social media, and official space agency apps." Notably, India is planning to launch the Chandrayaan 4 mission in 2027, while China's Chang'e 7 mission is scheduled to be launched in 2026. Both missions will include robotic landers and rovers, which Braden says will come across archaeological structures from thousands of years ago, which are covered in languages that bear a connection to human cultures. Braden has previously claimed in his books that humans who lived on the moon came from a long-lost civilisation on Earth that inhabited the planet 50,000 years ago. They were technologically advanced and developed technology that let them travel to the Moon. However, they killed each other in a war, triggering a mass extinction. "The evidence suggests they're from us, from a time in our past, a cycle of civilisation where we did great and beautiful things by working together until we destroyed one another through war, and that we're repeating that cycle," Braden claimed in the podcast. Also Read: 3I/Atlas, 'first contact or existential threat'? Netizens are convinced NASA and ESA are hiding something NASA data has never shown any such structures on the Moon However, nothing like this has ever been documented before by any space agency. None of the observations about the Moon to date have shown signs of any civilisation ever being on the lunar body. NASA's Lunar Sample Compendium and high-resolution images taken of the Moon do not show any scientific evidence of artificial structures or inscriptions on the Moon. However, Braden claims photographs from NASA's Clementine mission revealed structures on the moon with 90-degree angles, which he claims were built by an ancient civilisation millennia ago. Also Read: Infant rogue planet 620 light-years away growing by 6 billion tonnes per second To back his claims, Braden cites the moon landings and unconfirmed stories that Apollo astronauts allegedly saw structures and writings on the moon. According to reports, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin saw a large metallic structure on the Moon's far side during their 1969 mission. But NASA abruptly cancelled the signal just as the radio transmissions started describing it as a "base". "I think when our space program was active, there were broadcasts from the lunar surface that were cut off, and astronauts had seen things that they were not allowed to see and not allowed to share," Braden claimed during the podcast.

A scientist has made a strange claim about the Moon, stating that 50,000 years ago, a civilisation that spiralled from humans lived on the lunar body. He claims the US and Russia hid evidence about it, but now India and China will uncover the truth with their upcoming missions.

Indian mission will uncover relics of a civilisation that lived on the Moon 50,000 years ago, scientist claims

Scientists have discovered that the moon is getting 1½ inches (3.8 centimetres) farther away from the Earth each year. The distance was measured by scientists after bouncing laser beams off mirrors placed there by spacecraft and astronauts to travel to the moon and back.&nbsp;The distance of the Moon changes over the course of a month as it revolves around the Earth. The moon's orbit is not a perfect circle and changes by about 12,400 miles (20,000 km) while orbiting the Earth. This change results in some full moons getting a bit bigger than others, which are called supermoons, according to a report in The Conversation.<h3>Why is the Moon getting farther away?</h3>Basically, the moon is getting farther away because of tides as it comes from a difference in gravity with the Earth. Moon's gravity force is about 4% stronger on the side of Earth when it faces toward it as compared to the opposite side of the Earth facing away, because with distance, gravity gets weaker.&nbsp;This tidal force causes the oceans to rotate into two bulges that point toward and away from the Moon. This happens because the gravitational force that the Moon pulls on the Earth is not an average force, but it is the same everywhere.&nbsp;The gravitational pull of the Moon is stronger on the side of Earth nearest to it, creating a water bulge facing the Moon. On the far side, where the pull is weaker, another bulge forms as water lags behind the rest of the planet.&nbsp;As Earth rotates, these bulges shift position but continue to align with the moon’s gravitational influence. In coastal cities such as New York and Los Angeles, this effect causes sea levels to rise and fall by roughly five feet.&nbsp;However, the bulges don’t line up perfectly with the moon. Because Earth spins, they are dragged slightly ahead. These forward-shifted bulges then tug back on the moon, not only pulling it inward toward Earth but also nudging it forward in its orbit, much like a car gaining a push of speed while rounding a curve.&nbsp;This forward pull from the closer tidal bulge results in the moon speeding up, causing the size of its orbit to increase. As a result, the bottom line of the gravity of the closer tidal bulge on the Earth pulls the moon forward, increasing the size of the moon's orbit. This led the moon to get slightly farther away from the Earth; however, this effect is negligible, which is only detectable on average over years.

The distance of the Moon changes over the course of a month as it revolves around the Earth. The moon's orbit is not a perfect circle and changes by about 12,400 miles (20,000 km) while orbiting the Earth. 

Scientists have discovered that the moon is getting 1½ inches (3.8 centimetres) farther away from the Earth each year. The distance was measured by scientists after bouncing laser beams off mirrors placed there by spacecraft and astronauts to travel to the moon and back. The distance of the Moon changes over the course of a month as it revolves around the Earth. The moon's orbit is not a perfect circle and changes by about 12,400 miles (20,000 km) while orbiting the Earth. This change results in some full moons getting a bit bigger than others, which are called supermoons, according to a report in The Conversation. Why is the Moon getting farther away? Basically, the moon is getting farther away because of tides as it comes from a difference in gravity with the Earth. Moon's gravity force is about 4% stronger on the side of Earth when it faces toward it as compared to the opposite side of the Earth facing away, because with distance, gravity gets weaker. This tidal force causes the oceans to rotate into two bulges that point toward and away from the Moon. This happens because the gravitational force that the Moon pulls on the Earth is not an average force, but it is the same everywhere. The gravitational pull of the Moon is stronger on the side of Earth nearest to it, creating a water bulge facing the Moon. On the far side, where the pull is weaker, another bulge forms as water lags behind the rest of the planet. As Earth rotates, these bulges shift position but continue to align with the moon’s gravitational influence. In coastal cities such as New York and Los Angeles, this effect causes sea levels to rise and fall by roughly five feet. However, the bulges don’t line up perfectly with the moon. Because Earth spins, they are dragged slightly ahead. These forward-shifted bulges then tug back on the moon, not only pulling it inward toward Earth but also nudging it forward in its orbit, much like a car gaining a push of speed while rounding a curve. This forward pull from the closer tidal bulge results in the moon speeding up, causing the size of its orbit to increase. As a result, the bottom line of the gravity of the closer tidal bulge on the Earth pulls the moon forward, increasing the size of the moon's orbit. This led the moon to get slightly farther away from the Earth; however, this effect is negligible, which is only detectable on average over years.

The distance of the Moon changes over the course of a month as it revolves around the Earth. The moon's orbit is not a perfect circle and changes by about 12,400 miles (20,000 km) while orbiting the Earth.&nbsp;

Moon drifting away from Earth? Scientists claim THIS is the reason behind strange phenomenon

This discovery challenges existing assumptions, because both abundant oxygen and liquid water, normally required for rust formation, are largely absent on the Moon.

This discovery challenges existing assumptions, because both abundant oxygen and liquid water, normally required for rust formation, are largely absent on the Moon.

How Earth’s ‘wind’ is secretly rusting the Moon: Scientists reveal the truth

NASA is preparing a historic return to the Moon with the Artemis mission. Astronauts will target the unexplored lunar south pole, a step towards using the Moon as a launchpad to Mars. But delays and rising costs threaten the mission’s timeline. Here’s what’s at stake in humanity’s return to lunar soil.


Why is it so hard to go back to Moon?

NASA is preparing a historic return to the Moon with the Artemis mission. Astronauts will target the unexplored lunar south pole, a step towards using the Moon as a launchpad to Mars. But delays and rising costs threaten the mission’s timeline. Here’s what’s at stake in humanity’s return to lunar soil.

NASA Prepares To Send Humans Back To The Moon

What if we tell you that Earth has a new quasi-moon that’s right, a tiny asteroid that’s been quietly orbiting near us for decades, and no one noticed until now.


Unnoticed tiny asteroid orbiting Earth for 60 years

Moon's Great Escape: A fascinating phenomenon of the Moon’s slow-motion breakup from Earth and how this cosmic event could disrupt the delicate balance of our planet’s natural systems. 


Moon's Slow-Motion Breakup From Earth: Cosmic Balance Under Threat

Scientists highlight the Moon’s slow-motion drift away from Earth, raising questions about the long-term effects on cosmic balance. The phenomenon could impact tides, planetary rotation, and Earth-Moon stability.


Moon's Slow-Motion Breakup From Earth: Explained 

Moon's slow-motion breakup from earth, is cosmic balance under threat? 

Earth has a new quasi-moon that has been right there all along, but somehow scientists failed to see it earlier. Named 2025 PN7, it has been near our planet for decades, moving in a stable orbit. It will remain there for several more to come. The finding was published in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society. The quasi-moon was discovered on August 2 by the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii. After astronomers spotted 2025 PN7, they scanned through past data from the telescope to see whether it had been observed earlier. To their surprise, they found images of the quasi-moon dating back to 2014. They noted that it has been moving alongside Earth in a stable orbit for over 60 years. It is not going anywhere for 60 more years, when it will ultimately escape and drift away. Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/was-mini-moon-asteroid-once-part-of-our-moon-nasa-will-try-to-find-out-when-it-returns-779866">Was 'mini-moon' asteroid once part of our Moon? NASA will try to find out when it returns</a>&nbsp;Notably, Earth has around seven such quasi-moons. Quasi-moons are nothing but asteroids that are on similar orbits to our planet. However, they aren't caught by Earth's gravitational force and are only influenced by it. This is why they do not fully qualify to be called a moon. They share Earth's orbit around the Sun and do not actually orbit the planet. Scientists have stated that 2025-PN7 is around 62 feet wide, and between 4.5 million kilometres and 59.8 million kilometres away from Earth. It belongs to an elite group of near-Earth asteroids. The Pan-STARRS observatory located the quasi-moon in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/when-will-earth-get-its-next-mini-moon-a-1981-and-2022-visitor-returns-in-778199">When will Earth get its next mini-moon? A 1981 and 2022 visitor returns in...</a>&nbsp;<h2>What is a quasi-moon of Earth?</h2> One of the most famous quasi-moons is Kamoʻoalewa, officially known as 2016 HO3. It was detected on April 27, 2016, and has an elongated shape instead of a sphere. It measures between 131 and 328 feet across, and a Chinese mission will soon study the quasi-moon. The Tianwen-2 mission was launched in May this year and has been designed to collect samples from Kamoʻoalewa. It will bring them back to Earth in 2027. The aim of the mission is to find clues that could offer more insights into the origin of the solar system.&nbsp;<h2>Are quasi-moons and mini-moons the same?</h2> No, quasi-moons and mini-moons are not the same. As mentioned above, quasi-moons orbit in the same path as Earth, sharing its space and keeping pace with it. They are asteroids influenced by Earth's gravity but not caught by it. Meanwhile, mini-moons are asteroids that get caught in Earth's gravitational force. They are also temporary and drift away within weeks to a few years. Quasi-moons, on the other hand, accompany the planet for a longer time. We had a mini-moon last year when asteroid 2024 PT5 &nbsp;visited and stayed from Sep 29 to Nov 25.

Earth has seven quasi-moons, and one of them has been with us for over 60 years, yet scientists have only now found it. Quasi-moon is an asteroid that moves in the same orbit as Earth and is influenced by our planet's gravity. Yet, it is not a mini-moon.

Earth has a new quasi-moon that has been right there all along, but somehow scientists failed to see it earlier. Named 2025 PN7, it has been near our planet for decades, moving in a stable orbit. It will remain there for several more to come. The finding was published in Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society. The quasi-moon was discovered on August 2 by the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii. After astronomers spotted 2025 PN7, they scanned through past data from the telescope to see whether it had been observed earlier. To their surprise, they found images of the quasi-moon dating back to 2014. They noted that it has been moving alongside Earth in a stable orbit for over 60 years. It is not going anywhere for 60 more years, when it will ultimately escape and drift away. Also Read: Was 'mini-moon' asteroid once part of our Moon? NASA will try to find out when it returns Notably, Earth has around seven such quasi-moons. Quasi-moons are nothing but asteroids that are on similar orbits to our planet. However, they aren't caught by Earth's gravitational force and are only influenced by it. This is why they do not fully qualify to be called a moon. They share Earth's orbit around the Sun and do not actually orbit the planet. Scientists have stated that 2025-PN7 is around 62 feet wide, and between 4.5 million kilometres and 59.8 million kilometres away from Earth. It belongs to an elite group of near-Earth asteroids. The Pan-STARRS observatory located the quasi-moon in the constellation Piscis Austrinus. Also Read: When will Earth get its next mini-moon? A 1981 and 2022 visitor returns in... What is a quasi-moon of Earth? One of the most famous quasi-moons is Kamoʻoalewa, officially known as 2016 HO3. It was detected on April 27, 2016, and has an elongated shape instead of a sphere. It measures between 131 and 328 feet across, and a Chinese mission will soon study the quasi-moon. The Tianwen-2 mission was launched in May this year and has been designed to collect samples from Kamoʻoalewa. It will bring them back to Earth in 2027. The aim of the mission is to find clues that could offer more insights into the origin of the solar system. Are quasi-moons and mini-moons the same? No, quasi-moons and mini-moons are not the same. As mentioned above, quasi-moons orbit in the same path as Earth, sharing its space and keeping pace with it. They are asteroids influenced by Earth's gravity but not caught by it. Meanwhile, mini-moons are asteroids that get caught in Earth's gravitational force. They are also temporary and drift away within weeks to a few years. Quasi-moons, on the other hand, accompany the planet for a longer time. We had a mini-moon last year when asteroid 2024 PT5 visited and stayed from Sep 29 to Nov 25.

Earth has seven quasi-moons, and one of them has been with us for over 60 years, yet scientists have only now found it. Quasi-moon is an asteroid that moves in the same orbit as Earth and is influenced by our planet's gravity. Yet, it is not a mini-moon.

WHAT! Earth has been sharing its orbit with a cosmic body for 60 years. We have only now seen it

Blood Moon tonight: The Moon will turn dark red on the night of September 7. This occurs due to a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. It will occur as the last total lunar eclipse of 2025 takes place. Where will the Blood moon be visible?

Blood Moon tonight: The Moon will turn dark red on the night of September 7. This occurs due to a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. It will occur as the last total lunar eclipse of 2025 takes place. Where will the Blood moon be visible?

Get ready for Blood Moon tonight: The Moon will turn an eerie dark red for 82 minutes. Here's why

The night sky will play host to an unusual lunar event known as a Black Moon on August 23. Black Moon isn't an official astronomical term, but it's used to describe unusual timings of new moon phases.


Black Moon: this celestial event only happens once every 33 months

The night sky will play host to an unusual lunar event known as a Black Moon on August 23. Black Moon isn't an official astronomical term, but it's used to describe unusual timings of new moon phases.



Black Moon: Rare Black Moon Rising With Sun on August 23 | GRAVITAS

NASA is aiming to put a nuclear reactor on the moon in the year 2030. In a directive issued to the space agency, Sean Duffy, the interim NASA administrator, has asked to award the contract within the next six months for the ambitious project. China and Russia have joined hands to launch a nuclear power station for the Moon by 2035. NASA wants to win this space race as it fears that whichever country gets there first could "declare a keep-out zone". However, no one owns the Moon. So, can any country issue such an order, keeping others away from the site? All activities on the Moon are governed by the Outer Space Treaty and the Moon Agreement. As countries vie to land humans on the Moon once again, these international agreements become all the more important. According to the Outer Space Treaty, Outer Space Treaty no country can claim sovereignty over the Moon. It also declares that every activity carried out around the Moon should be for peaceful purposes, and declares its resources as the common heritage of mankind. Also Read: Space War begins: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-official-plans-time-nuclear-reactor-on-the-moon-1754386036553">NASA officially has a plan for a nuclear reactor on the Moon by the year...</a><h2>Moon Treaty declares Moon is a free-for-all zone</h2>Every country is free to explore the Moon and no one can claim ownership over any of its surface, sub-surface or any particular region. All scientific investigations on the Moon should be done with the greater good of all Earthlings in mind. Basically, the Moon agreement states that our satellite is a common heritage where everything should be done for the good of all mankind and weapons of mass destruction should not be part of space. However, the Artemis Accords, which place multilateral arrangements between the United States and other world governments, carry a provision that could zone out other countries from a particular part of the Moon. Seven nations signed the agreement in 2020, outlining the principles of cooperation on the Moon's surface. The accords state that safety zones can be established around operations built by any country if it thinks that other operations or events could harm its operations. Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/buga-or-bogus-viral-video-claims-buga-sphere-is-responding-to-sanskrit-mantras-1754372969688">Buga or 'Bogus'? Viral video claims Buga Sphere is responding to Sanskrit mantras</a><h2>Artemis Accords “zoning” rule on the Moon</h2>Dr Simeon Barber, planetary science specialist at the Open University, told the BBC, "If you build a nuclear reactor or any kind of base on the moon, you can then start claiming that you have a safety zone around it, because you have equipment there." This is what the US fears could happen if China and Russia are successful in building their nuclear reactor first on the Moon. This, despite the fact that neither of the two countries has signed the Artemis Accords or the Moon Treaty of 1979. The Artemis Accords were put in place by NASA, and now it itself is in danger of losing out on the race to the Moon. Dr Barber says this provision in the accords could be taken to mean territorial rights on the Moon. He says countries could use it to assert, "We own this bit of the moon, we're going to operate here and you can't come in."&nbsp;https://www.wionews.com/videos/nasa-s-moon-landing-will-spacex-s-rocket-be-ready-1748659813595/embed<h2>NASA and Artemis 3 mission</h2>NASA is aiming to send humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis 3 mission in 2027. Before that, a crew is due to visit the Moon in 2026, which would only hover over the Moon and not land to understand the conditions better. This new space race is similar to what the world witnessed during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union and the United States competed to place the first man on the moon. The US landed the first human on the Moon in 1969 as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union has not been able to do so yet. This could change in less than 10 years.&nbsp; &nbsp;

NASA and China are locked in a race to the Moon. Who would reach there first? The US fears that if China and Russia make it to the Moon before it does, they could barricade a part of the Moon, declaring it a keep-out zone, basically pushing it out of the area.

NASA is aiming to put a nuclear reactor on the moon in the year 2030. In a directive issued to the space agency, Sean Duffy, the interim NASA administrator, has asked to award the contract within the next six months for the ambitious project. China and Russia have joined hands to launch a nuclear power station for the Moon by 2035. NASA wants to win this space race as it fears that whichever country gets there first could "declare a keep-out zone". However, no one owns the Moon. So, can any country issue such an order, keeping others away from the site? All activities on the Moon are governed by the Outer Space Treaty and the Moon Agreement. As countries vie to land humans on the Moon once again, these international agreements become all the more important. According to the Outer Space Treaty, Outer Space Treaty no country can claim sovereignty over the Moon. It also declares that every activity carried out around the Moon should be for peaceful purposes, and declares its resources as the common heritage of mankind. Also Read: Space War begins: NASA officially has a plan for a nuclear reactor on the Moon by the year... Moon Treaty declares Moon is a free-for-all zone Every country is free to explore the Moon and no one can claim ownership over any of its surface, sub-surface or any particular region. All scientific investigations on the Moon should be done with the greater good of all Earthlings in mind. Basically, the Moon agreement states that our satellite is a common heritage where everything should be done for the good of all mankind and weapons of mass destruction should not be part of space. However, the Artemis Accords, which place multilateral arrangements between the United States and other world governments, carry a provision that could zone out other countries from a particular part of the Moon. Seven nations signed the agreement in 2020, outlining the principles of cooperation on the Moon's surface. The accords state that safety zones can be established around operations built by any country if it thinks that other operations or events could harm its operations. Also Read: Buga or 'Bogus'? Viral video claims Buga Sphere is responding to Sanskrit mantras Artemis Accords “zoning” rule on the Moon Dr Simeon Barber, planetary science specialist at the Open University, told the BBC, "If you build a nuclear reactor or any kind of base on the moon, you can then start claiming that you have a safety zone around it, because you have equipment there." This is what the US fears could happen if China and Russia are successful in building their nuclear reactor first on the Moon. This, despite the fact that neither of the two countries has signed the Artemis Accords or the Moon Treaty of 1979. The Artemis Accords were put in place by NASA, and now it itself is in danger of losing out on the race to the Moon. Dr Barber says this provision in the accords could be taken to mean territorial rights on the Moon. He says countries could use it to assert, "We own this bit of the moon, we're going to operate here and you can't come in." https://www.wionews.com/videos/nasa-s-moon-landing-will-spacex-s-rocket-be-ready-1748659813595/embed NASA and Artemis 3 mission NASA is aiming to send humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis 3 mission in 2027. Before that, a crew is due to visit the Moon in 2026, which would only hover over the Moon and not land to understand the conditions better. This new space race is similar to what the world witnessed during the Cold War, when the Soviet Union and the United States competed to place the first man on the moon. The US landed the first human on the Moon in 1969 as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Meanwhile, the Soviet Union has not been able to do so yet. This could change in less than 10 years.

NASA and China are locked in a race to the Moon. Who would reach there first? The US fears that if China and Russia make it to the Moon before it does, they could barricade a part of the Moon, declaring it a keep-out zone, basically pushing it out of the area.

Can a country barricade the Moon? NASA fears losing out to China because of its own safety zone rule

While the Trump administration is putting a stop to various space endeavours, one of which it is seriously considering is building a nuclear reactor on the moon. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who is also the interim NASA administrator, is reportedly set to announce plans for a nuclear reactor in space. According to a report by Politico, Duffy could reveal the details as soon as this week. Plans for a nuclear reactor on the Moon have been in the world for a long time. NASA had earlier funded research into a 40 kilowatt reactor for use on the moon, with the timeline for launch some time in the 2030s. However, Duffy making an official announcement would mean that it is no longer a background mission. In fact, the Trump administration has been serious about sending humans to space, even though it has announced a nearly 50 per cent cut for other science missions. It also means that Duffy is looking to play an active role in NASA, despite having another job, for which he has faced backlash. Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/exclusive-nasa-isro-nisar-satellite-can-survive-hits-from-tiny-space-rocks-1753855760850">Exclusive: NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite can survive hits from tiny space rocks</a><h2>NASA wants to launch its nuclear reactor in 2030</h2>NASA has been told to solicit industry proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor that would be launched by 2030. A senior NASA official told the publication, “It is about winning the second space race." This is in reference to the space race that China is also pursuing and trying to reach not only the Moon but also Mars. Notably, China and Russia have joined hands to build an automated nuclear power station on the Moon by 2035. In the race to defeat Beijing and Moscow, the White House has proposed a budget that would increase human spaceflight funds for 2026. The nuclear reactor would fulfil energy needs when humans go to the Moon again. The plans include building a lunar base from which they could further launch towards Mars. Whichever country gets there first could hold the upper hand in all future missions. A directive sent to NASA states that whichever country builds a reactor first could "declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States." Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/insane-simulation-shows-fleet-of-nasa-choppers-dropping-down-on-mars-1753520954592">INSANE simulation shows fleet of NASA choppers dropping down on Mars</a>&nbsp;https://www.wionews.com/videos/nasa-to-lose-more-than-3-000-employees-in-the-backdrop-of-trump-s-federal-workforce-cuts-1753585145205/embed&nbsp;The year 2030 has been chosen for the launch of the nuclear station because China is aiming to land its first human on the Moon in the same year. Replacing the International Space Station (ISS) is another high-priority agenda for Duffy, who has directed officials to move quickly on it. The current space station is expected to retire before 2030. At least two companies will be chosen for it within six months of the proposal, which would be tasked with placing a new space station in orbit by 2030. China is the only other country to have a permanently crewed space station, called Tiangong. &nbsp;

NASA plans on having a nuclear reactor on the Moon in the early part of the next decade. Sean Duffy, who is also the interim NASA administrator, is expected to make an official announcement soon. Russia and China are aiming for the same by 2035. NASA is hoping to beat them. 

While the Trump administration is putting a stop to various space endeavours, one of which it is seriously considering is building a nuclear reactor on the moon. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who is also the interim NASA administrator, is reportedly set to announce plans for a nuclear reactor in space. According to a report by Politico, Duffy could reveal the details as soon as this week. Plans for a nuclear reactor on the Moon have been in the world for a long time. NASA had earlier funded research into a 40 kilowatt reactor for use on the moon, with the timeline for launch some time in the 2030s. However, Duffy making an official announcement would mean that it is no longer a background mission. In fact, the Trump administration has been serious about sending humans to space, even though it has announced a nearly 50 per cent cut for other science missions. It also means that Duffy is looking to play an active role in NASA, despite having another job, for which he has faced backlash. Also Read: Exclusive: NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite can survive hits from tiny space rocks NASA wants to launch its nuclear reactor in 2030 NASA has been told to solicit industry proposals for a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor that would be launched by 2030. A senior NASA official told the publication, “It is about winning the second space race." This is in reference to the space race that China is also pursuing and trying to reach not only the Moon but also Mars. Notably, China and Russia have joined hands to build an automated nuclear power station on the Moon by 2035. In the race to defeat Beijing and Moscow, the White House has proposed a budget that would increase human spaceflight funds for 2026. The nuclear reactor would fulfil energy needs when humans go to the Moon again. The plans include building a lunar base from which they could further launch towards Mars. Whichever country gets there first could hold the upper hand in all future missions. A directive sent to NASA states that whichever country builds a reactor first could "declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States." Also Read: INSANE simulation shows fleet of NASA choppers dropping down on Mars https://www.wionews.com/videos/nasa-to-lose-more-than-3-000-employees-in-the-backdrop-of-trump-s-federal-workforce-cuts-1753585145205/embed The year 2030 has been chosen for the launch of the nuclear station because China is aiming to land its first human on the Moon in the same year. Replacing the International Space Station (ISS) is another high-priority agenda for Duffy, who has directed officials to move quickly on it. The current space station is expected to retire before 2030. At least two companies will be chosen for it within six months of the proposal, which would be tasked with placing a new space station in orbit by 2030. China is the only other country to have a permanently crewed space station, called Tiangong.

NASA plans on having a nuclear reactor on the Moon in the early part of the next decade. Sean Duffy, who is also the interim NASA administrator, is expected to make an official announcement soon. Russia and China are aiming for the same by 2035. NASA is hoping to beat them.&nbsp;

Space War begins: NASA officially has a plan for a nuclear reactor on the Moon by the year...

Last year, Earth had a mini moon for a few weeks, and astronomers were all excited about it. Now a study has established that our planet has at least six such mini moons at any given time. A team os scientists from the US, Italy, Germany, Finland, and Sweden says that these cosmic objects are pieces of our actual moon which came apart following asteroid collisions. They are only around six feet in diameter and caught in the Earth's gravitational field. The authors noted that when the debris from the Moon was released from asteroid impacts, the larger chunks floated away. However, the smaller ones were pulled in and are in a somewhat stable orbit around Earth. These broken moon pieces, known as "lunar ejecta," orbit our planet for years before escaping. These temporarily bound objects (TBOs) then get caught in the Sun's gravity and start revolving around it. Some of them also crash into Earth or the Moon. More debris is released from the Moon and then undergoes the same process, as some of it ends up being Earth's new moons. Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/scientists-can-t-figure-out-why-glaciers-in-world-s-most-dangerous-region-karakoram-range-are-growing-1753261712617">Scientists can't figure out why glaciers in world's most dangerous region are growing</a>Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/total-solar-eclipse-2027-six-minutes-darkness-which-countries-cities-india-1752728414715">6-minute total solar eclipse will plunge major parts of world into darkness. Is your city on the list?</a><h2>Earth's mini moons</h2>Robert Jedicke, a researcher at the University of Hawaii, described it like a "square dance, where partners change regularly and sometimes leave the dance floor for a while." The study published in Icarus also cancels out scientific belief that every new mini moon that comes near Earth travels from the solar system's asteroid belt. "Given that 18 per cent of TBOs can also be classified as minimoons, our nominal results suggest that there should be about 6.5 minimoons larger than 1 m diameter in the [Earth-Moon system] at any time," the researchers wrote in their new report. To understand more about mini moons, scientists studied two such objects named Kamo'oalewa and 2024 PT5. Both the mini moons made headlines last year when they were spotted orbiting Earth. Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/sorry-space-buffs-but-planet-nine-might-be-an-illusion-a-new-world-has-revealed-that-1752635476153">New world Sedna discovered in solar system. What this means for Planet Nine</a>Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/sun-400000-kilometre-long-scar-solar-filament-plasma-explosion-1752727510857">Our Sun just inflicted a 400,000-kilometre-long scar on itself. Here's what happened</a><h2>Mini moons discovered orbiting Earth</h2>These cosmic creatures were found to have the same properties as the Moon. Kamo'oalewa, discovered in 2016 by the Pan-STARRS1 telescope in Hawaii, was large, measuring between 131 to 328 feet in diameter. It reflected light in the same way as the moon's surface composition. It also had the same composition of lunar rocks, which are rich in silicates. Mini moon 2024 PT5 also exhibited the same characteristics, Jedicke told Space.com. Asteroid 2024 PT5 was discovered on Aug 7, 2024. It was spotted by Sutherland, the South Africa telescope of the University of Hawaii’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). As it came near Earth, it got caught in its gravity at a distance of about nine times the Moon is from Earth. The asteroid remained Earth's mini-moon from Sep 29 to Nov 25 in 2024. It revisited us this year and was at its closest point to our planet in January 2025, at which time scientists really dug into it to know about its history.

Earth has not one but seven moons at any given point in time. Scientists say that when asteroids collide with the Moon, the pieces released become mini moons for a few years. The mini moon Earth had last year is also believed to be a part of the Moon.

Last year, Earth had a mini moon for a few weeks, and astronomers were all excited about it. Now a study has established that our planet has at least six such mini moons at any given time. A team os scientists from the US, Italy, Germany, Finland, and Sweden says that these cosmic objects are pieces of our actual moon which came apart following asteroid collisions. They are only around six feet in diameter and caught in the Earth's gravitational field. The authors noted that when the debris from the Moon was released from asteroid impacts, the larger chunks floated away. However, the smaller ones were pulled in and are in a somewhat stable orbit around Earth. These broken moon pieces, known as "lunar ejecta," orbit our planet for years before escaping. These temporarily bound objects (TBOs) then get caught in the Sun's gravity and start revolving around it. Some of them also crash into Earth or the Moon. More debris is released from the Moon and then undergoes the same process, as some of it ends up being Earth's new moons. Also Read: Scientists can't figure out why glaciers in world's most dangerous region are growing Also Read: 6-minute total solar eclipse will plunge major parts of world into darkness. Is your city on the list? Earth's mini moons Robert Jedicke, a researcher at the University of Hawaii, described it like a "square dance, where partners change regularly and sometimes leave the dance floor for a while." The study published in Icarus also cancels out scientific belief that every new mini moon that comes near Earth travels from the solar system's asteroid belt. "Given that 18 per cent of TBOs can also be classified as minimoons, our nominal results suggest that there should be about 6.5 minimoons larger than 1 m diameter in the [Earth-Moon system] at any time," the researchers wrote in their new report. To understand more about mini moons, scientists studied two such objects named Kamo'oalewa and 2024 PT5. Both the mini moons made headlines last year when they were spotted orbiting Earth. Also Read: New world Sedna discovered in solar system. What this means for Planet Nine Also Read: Our Sun just inflicted a 400,000-kilometre-long scar on itself. Here's what happened Mini moons discovered orbiting Earth These cosmic creatures were found to have the same properties as the Moon. Kamo'oalewa, discovered in 2016 by the Pan-STARRS1 telescope in Hawaii, was large, measuring between 131 to 328 feet in diameter. It reflected light in the same way as the moon's surface composition. It also had the same composition of lunar rocks, which are rich in silicates. Mini moon 2024 PT5 also exhibited the same characteristics, Jedicke told Space.com. Asteroid 2024 PT5 was discovered on Aug 7, 2024. It was spotted by Sutherland, the South Africa telescope of the University of Hawaii’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). As it came near Earth, it got caught in its gravity at a distance of about nine times the Moon is from Earth. The asteroid remained Earth's mini-moon from Sep 29 to Nov 25 in 2024. It revisited us this year and was at its closest point to our planet in January 2025, at which time scientists really dug into it to know about its history.

Earth has not one but seven moons at any given point in time. Scientists say that when asteroids collide with the Moon, the pieces released become mini moons for a few years. The mini moon that Earth got last year is also believed to be a part of the Moon.

Moon babies from asteroid collisions mean Earth has 7 moons at all times

The Earth will spin a little faster than its usual rotation on July 22 (Tuesday), making it slightly shorter than the normal day. The difference will be just 1.34 milliseconds, which is slightly less than the standard 24 hours timing. The gap will be so small that people won't notice it but scientists are paying close attention to it because of a strange pattern that has started happening recently. According to scientists, if this trend continues, then we might have to remove a second from atomic clocks by the year 2029. The speed of the Earth’s rotation is not constant and a study in 2023 states that, billions of years ago, Earth’s days lasted only about 19 hours and this happened due to the effects of the Sun and the Moon pulling on the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans.&nbsp;Also Check - <a href="What is NISAR satellite and it's mission? India, US join hands for first time for Earth-observation project | Details inside">What is NISAR satellite and it's mission? India, US join hands for first time for Earth-observation project | Details inside</a><h2>So why is Earth now spinning faster?</h2>Scientists still don't have an accurate answer for why Earth is moving so faster but some studies suggest that the Moon has been slowing down and it is deeply effecting the Earth's rotation for billion of years.&nbsp;&nbsp;Other things like movements in Earth’s core, the oceans and the atmosphere also play a role in these long-term changes. It also changes the planet’s spinning speed over the time.&nbsp;For 2025, scientists have mentioned that July 9, July 22 and August 5 might be the shortest days in the year. But the new data shows that July 10 was actually the shortest day so far at a gap of 1.36 milliseconds under 24 hours.&nbsp;Now, July 22 is expected to come close at 1.34 milliseconds and it will make this date as the second-shortest day this year.&nbsp;

For 2025, scientists have mentioned that July 9, July 22 and August 5 might be the shortest days in the year. But the new data shows that July 10 was actually the shortest day so far.

The Earth will spin a little faster than its usual rotation on July 22 (Tuesday), making it slightly shorter than the normal day. The difference will be just 1.34 milliseconds, which is slightly less than the standard 24 hours timing. The gap will be so small that people won't notice it but scientists are paying close attention to it because of a strange pattern that has started happening recently. According to scientists, if this trend continues, then we might have to remove a second from atomic clocks by the year 2029. The speed of the Earth’s rotation is not constant and a study in 2023 states that, billions of years ago, Earth’s days lasted only about 19 hours and this happened due to the effects of the Sun and the Moon pulling on the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. Also Check - What is NISAR satellite and it's mission? India, US join hands for first time for Earth-observation project | Details inside So why is Earth now spinning faster? Scientists still don't have an accurate answer for why Earth is moving so faster but some studies suggest that the Moon has been slowing down and it is deeply effecting the Earth's rotation for billion of years. Other things like movements in Earth’s core, the oceans and the atmosphere also play a role in these long-term changes. It also changes the planet’s spinning speed over the time. For 2025, scientists have mentioned that July 9, July 22 and August 5 might be the shortest days in the year. But the new data shows that July 10 was actually the shortest day so far at a gap of 1.36 milliseconds under 24 hours. Now, July 22 is expected to come close at 1.34 milliseconds and it will make this date as the second-shortest day this year.

For 2025, scientists have mentioned that July 9, July 22 and August 5 might be the shortest days in the year. But the new data shows that July 10 was actually the shortest day so far.

Earth will spin faster on July 22 to create 2nd-shortest day in history, the gap between rotations will be...

Apollo 11 took off for the Moon on July 16, 1969, and landed on July 20. Neil Armstrong became the first man to put a foot on the Moon. The world watched as NASA achieved the historic feat. However, ever since then, conspiracy theories have swirled that the landing was faked by the space agency. People point to the fact that humans have not been able to return to the Moon since the Apollo missions ended. If NASA has the technology to reach the Moon in five days with people on board, why hasn't it been able to do it again? As the 56th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission approaches, social media is once again abuzz with chatter that Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins never actually went to the Moon. People have dug up old interviews of Aldrin, where he seemingly admits that America never went to the Moon.&nbsp;The first interview was on the Conan O'Brien Show in 2000. The host talks about watching the astronauts land on the Moon as a young boy. Aldrin interjects, "No, you didn't. There wasn't any television, and there wasn't anyone taking a picture. You watched an animation." People have often raised doubts about the photos and videos of the Moon showing Armstrong and Aldrin walking on the lunar surface. The two spent two and a quarter hours on the lunar surface exploring Tranquillity Base, the site where they landed. They also brought back samples of lunar soil and spent a total of 21 hours, 36 minutes on the Moon.&nbsp;<h2>Animations of Apollo moon landing</h2>"You watched animation so you associated what you saw with… you heard me talking about, you know, how many feet we're going to the left and right and then I said contact light, engine stopped, a few other things and then Neil said 'Houston, tranquillity base," Aldrin told O'Brien. However, what Aldrin was really referring to here was the TV animations that television channels used while covering the story. NASA has maintained that the Apollo missions were real. It points to telemetry data, lunar rock samples, and the testimonies of thousands of engineers, scientists, and astronauts as proof of the mission’s authenticity.&nbsp;In another interview from 2015, a little girl asks Aldrin why no one has returned to the Moon. He responds, "Because we didn't go there, and that's the way it happened." However, this is also an edited clip and is cut off before Aldrin clarifies what he meant. The astronaut clarified that the reason why it didn't happen again was because government priorities had changed and there was lack of funding. The 1970s in the US witnessed political turmoil because of the Watergate scandal and the Pentagon Papers. There was growing mistrust among the public, and it spilt over to the Apollo mission as well.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Apollo 11 anniversary: Buzz Aldrin, the second man to land on the Moon, said some things which are now being used on social media to state that the landing was faked. People started raising doubts about the mission in the 70s.  

Apollo 11 took off for the Moon on July 16, 1969, and landed on July 20. Neil Armstrong became the first man to put a foot on the Moon. The world watched as NASA achieved the historic feat. However, ever since then, conspiracy theories have swirled that the landing was faked by the space agency. People point to the fact that humans have not been able to return to the Moon since the Apollo missions ended. If NASA has the technology to reach the Moon in five days with people on board, why hasn't it been able to do it again? As the 56th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission approaches, social media is once again abuzz with chatter that Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins never actually went to the Moon. People have dug up old interviews of Aldrin, where he seemingly admits that America never went to the Moon. The first interview was on the Conan O'Brien Show in 2000. The host talks about watching the astronauts land on the Moon as a young boy. Aldrin interjects, "No, you didn't. There wasn't any television, and there wasn't anyone taking a picture. You watched an animation." People have often raised doubts about the photos and videos of the Moon showing Armstrong and Aldrin walking on the lunar surface. The two spent two and a quarter hours on the lunar surface exploring Tranquillity Base, the site where they landed. They also brought back samples of lunar soil and spent a total of 21 hours, 36 minutes on the Moon. Animations of Apollo moon landing "You watched animation so you associated what you saw with… you heard me talking about, you know, how many feet we're going to the left and right and then I said contact light, engine stopped, a few other things and then Neil said 'Houston, tranquillity base," Aldrin told O'Brien. However, what Aldrin was really referring to here was the TV animations that television channels used while covering the story. NASA has maintained that the Apollo missions were real. It points to telemetry data, lunar rock samples, and the testimonies of thousands of engineers, scientists, and astronauts as proof of the mission’s authenticity. In another interview from 2015, a little girl asks Aldrin why no one has returned to the Moon. He responds, "Because we didn't go there, and that's the way it happened." However, this is also an edited clip and is cut off before Aldrin clarifies what he meant. The astronaut clarified that the reason why it didn't happen again was because government priorities had changed and there was lack of funding. The 1970s in the US witnessed political turmoil because of the Watergate scandal and the Pentagon Papers. There was growing mistrust among the public, and it spilt over to the Apollo mission as well.

Apollo 11 anniversary: Buzz Aldrin, the second man to land on the Moon, said some things which are now being used on social media to state that the landing was faked. People started raising doubts about the mission in the 70s. &nbsp;

Apollo 11 anniversary: Conspiracy theories about moon landing being faked swirl once again

Earth recorded its shortest day in history, scientists say, and even shorter days are coming. This summer, Earth is spinning unusually fast. Our planet completed a full rotation in slightly under 24 hours, 1.3 milliseconds faster than the standard. According to the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), July 22 and August 5 are expected to be similarly short.The reason is a complex interplay of geophysical forces. Experts point to a shift in the Earth's core, climate change-induced glacial melting, seismic activity, and even strong ocean tides as contributors to this acceleration. The phenomenon is known as “Chandler wobble”, a small irregular movement of Earth's geographical poles.“It’s a reminder,” said a geophysicist from the International Earth Rotation Service, “that our planet is not a static ball but a dynamic system constantly in flux.”&nbsp;<h2>Some Scientists say, ‘blame the moon’</h2>Scientists say this is also a result of the moon's position; when it is closer to the Moon, it rotates faster, when it's further away from the Moon, it slows down. The moon has always affected our Earth's spin through tidal braking, where our Moon's gravitational pull causes our planet to bulge. This deformation also slowly pulls away momentum from the Earth's rotation, causing our planet to slow down by 2 milliseconds every century.&nbsp;“It’s not a huge change in the Earth’s rotation that’s going to lead to some catastrophe or anything, but it is something notable,” said Duncan Agnew, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.While the difference might be imperceptible to our human life, it resulted in IERS skipping a leap second in 2025, and may have to take back one leap second in 2029. But it is apparent that our planet has slowed down a little bit&nbsp; &nbsp;

The shortest ever day on Earth is recorded today, with Earth rotating 1.3 milliseconds faster than the standard time, scientists predicting even shorter days coming. 

Earth recorded its shortest day in history, scientists say, and even shorter days are coming. This summer, Earth is spinning unusually fast. Our planet completed a full rotation in slightly under 24 hours, 1.3 milliseconds faster than the standard. According to the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), July 22 and August 5 are expected to be similarly short. The reason is a complex interplay of geophysical forces. Experts point to a shift in the Earth's core, climate change-induced glacial melting, seismic activity, and even strong ocean tides as contributors to this acceleration. The phenomenon is known as “Chandler wobble”, a small irregular movement of Earth's geographical poles. “It’s a reminder,” said a geophysicist from the International Earth Rotation Service, “that our planet is not a static ball but a dynamic system constantly in flux.” Some Scientists say, ‘blame the moon’ Scientists say this is also a result of the moon's position; when it is closer to the Moon, it rotates faster, when it's further away from the Moon, it slows down. The moon has always affected our Earth's spin through tidal braking, where our Moon's gravitational pull causes our planet to bulge. This deformation also slowly pulls away momentum from the Earth's rotation, causing our planet to slow down by 2 milliseconds every century. “It’s not a huge change in the Earth’s rotation that’s going to lead to some catastrophe or anything, but it is something notable,” said Duncan Agnew, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. While the difference might be imperceptible to our human life, it resulted in IERS skipping a leap second in 2025, and may have to take back one leap second in 2029. But it is apparent that our planet has slowed down a little bit

The shortest ever day on Earth is recorded today, with Earth rotating 1.3 milliseconds faster than the standard time, scientists predicting even shorter days coming.&nbsp;

Today was the shortest day ever recorded, even shorter days are coming

The June full moon is known by this name to mark the short but sweet strawberry harvest season. 

As the whole world witness the stunning Strawberry Moon on Wednesday (June 11), not everyone knows the meaning behind its "sweet" name. The June's full moon is known by this name to mark the short but sweet strawberry harvest season.&nbsp;

Strawberry Moon lights up the sky - Stunning images from across the world

NASA has upped the chances of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the Moon in 2032 from 3.8 to 4.3 per cent. The space rock stirred panic among Earthlings earlier this year when scientists noticed that it was on a trajectory that would lead to a collision with Earth in eight years. Multiple calculations and weeks later, everyone heaves a sigh of relief. The good news was that asteroid 2024 YR4, 53-67 metres in diameter, about the size of a 10-storey building, was not moving towards our planet. But the bad news was that it is on course to smash into our Moon.&nbsp;It might not exactly be bad news since the Moon is already riddled with craters, and one more wouldn't make any difference. However, there were fears that the collision might move our lunar satellite out of its orbit.&nbsp;While the probability of the asteroid crashing into it has increased, experts have clarified that the Moon's orbit won't be impacted in any way by the asteroid.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/nasa-says-asteroid-2024-yr4-can-hit-the-moon-8776642">'Once in 1,000 years...': NASA says asteroid 2024 YR4 can hit the Moon. Is Earth safe?</a>&nbsp;<h2>James Webb observed asteroid 2024 YR4</h2>&nbsp;The James Webb Space Telescope continued to observe the asteroid even though it had moved far away from Earth. The last of them came in May, when the data suggested a higher chance of collision with the Moon.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/nasa-bumps-up-probability-of-city-killer-asteroid-2024-yr4-slamming-into-our-planet-earth-in-8-years-8735944">NASA bumps up probability of 'city killer' asteroid 2024-YR4 slamming into our planet Earth in 8 years</a>&nbsp;Andy Rivkin, a planetary astronomer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and his team used Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera to monitor the asteroid. NASA said that this data improved their prediction of where the asteroid will be on December 22, 2032 by 20 per cent.&nbsp;<h2>Asteroid will return in 2028</h2>&nbsp;Now, asteroid 2024 YR4 has snuck behind the sun and is no longer visible. Its next appearance is not scheduled until 2028. Scientists are planning to observe it again to see if there is a further change in its trajectory. NASA has not said anything about whether or not its impact probability could evolve in the next few years.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/how-will-earth-die-solar-system-sun-mercury-venus-rogue-star-1748688088180">One planet will trigger the death of everyone in the solar system. A star will aid and abet</a>&nbsp;Scientists are gearing up to see the asteroid colliding with the Moon in 2032, if it happens. They plan on seeing the action live if it hits the Earth-facing side.&nbsp;Asteroid 2024 YR4 was first seen by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile in December 2024. It was 829,000 kilometres away from Earth at the time. Alarm bells started to ring when scientists said that it could hit Earth in 2032. There was about a 1 per cent chance of this happening on December 22, 2032. This increased to 3 per cent in the next few weeks. However, before NASA could begin scrambling for tools to deflect and break the asteroid, experts confirmed that Earth is safe.&nbsp; &nbsp;

The Moon might face fury from an asteroid in about eight years as the James Webb telescope discovers more about a space rock that once threatened Earth. 

NASA has upped the chances of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the Moon in 2032 from 3.8 to 4.3 per cent. The space rock stirred panic among Earthlings earlier this year when scientists noticed that it was on a trajectory that would lead to a collision with Earth in eight years. Multiple calculations and weeks later, everyone heaves a sigh of relief. The good news was that asteroid 2024 YR4, 53-67 metres in diameter, about the size of a 10-storey building, was not moving towards our planet. But the bad news was that it is on course to smash into our Moon. It might not exactly be bad news since the Moon is already riddled with craters, and one more wouldn't make any difference. However, there were fears that the collision might move our lunar satellite out of its orbit. While the probability of the asteroid crashing into it has increased, experts have clarified that the Moon's orbit won't be impacted in any way by the asteroid. Also Read: 'Once in 1,000 years...': NASA says asteroid 2024 YR4 can hit the Moon. Is Earth safe? James Webb observed asteroid 2024 YR4 The James Webb Space Telescope continued to observe the asteroid even though it had moved far away from Earth. The last of them came in May, when the data suggested a higher chance of collision with the Moon. Also Read: NASA bumps up probability of 'city killer' asteroid 2024-YR4 slamming into our planet Earth in 8 years Andy Rivkin, a planetary astronomer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and his team used Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera to monitor the asteroid. NASA said that this data improved their prediction of where the asteroid will be on December 22, 2032 by 20 per cent. Asteroid will return in 2028 Now, asteroid 2024 YR4 has snuck behind the sun and is no longer visible. Its next appearance is not scheduled until 2028. Scientists are planning to observe it again to see if there is a further change in its trajectory. NASA has not said anything about whether or not its impact probability could evolve in the next few years. Also Read: One planet will trigger the death of everyone in the solar system. A star will aid and abet Scientists are gearing up to see the asteroid colliding with the Moon in 2032, if it happens. They plan on seeing the action live if it hits the Earth-facing side. Asteroid 2024 YR4 was first seen by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile in December 2024. It was 829,000 kilometres away from Earth at the time. Alarm bells started to ring when scientists said that it could hit Earth in 2032. There was about a 1 per cent chance of this happening on December 22, 2032. This increased to 3 per cent in the next few weeks. However, before NASA could begin scrambling for tools to deflect and break the asteroid, experts confirmed that Earth is safe.

The Moon might face fury from an asteroid in about eight years as the James Webb telescope discovers more about a space rock that once threatened Earth.&nbsp;

What will happen on Dec 22, 2032? Not good things for our Moon, as scientists await major event

Eid al-Adha, also called Bakrid, is a very crucial festival for Muslims all over the globe. It is also known as the “Festival of Sacrifice.” This day honours the story of Prophet Ibrahim, who was asked by God to sacrifice his son.&nbsp;Ibrahim agreed to follow God’s command, but before he could do it, God sent a sheep to be sacrificed instead. This shows the importance of faith, obedience, and trust in God.&nbsp;Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha by starting the day with a special prayer at mosques or open grounds. After the prayer, those who can afford it sacrifice an animal such as a goat or, sheep. Many Muslims also donate, do charity.&nbsp;Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/eid-al-adha-2025-moon-sighting-timings-in-india-uk-us-and-uae-all-you-need-to-know-1749209497523">Eid al-Adha 2025 | Moon sighting timings in India, UK, US, and UAE. All you need to know</a>&nbsp;On this day, families come together to enjoy meals, wear new clothes, and visit friends and neighbours. It is also a time to give charity and help others in need.&nbsp;In India, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Saturday, June 7, 2025, because the moon is expected to be sighted a day later than in Saudi Arabia. The festival date may vary slightly depending on local moon sightings,&nbsp;Let's have a look at the moon sighting timings in India&nbsp;June 6: Moonrise at 2:09 PM IST, Moonset at 1:59 AM (June 7)June 7: Moonrise at 5:24 PM IST, Moonset at 3:00 AM (June 8) When is it celebrated? &nbsp;The festival is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It coincides with the culmination of the sacred pilgrimage Hajj. It is one of the five pillars of Islam.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In India, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Saturday, June 7, 2025, because the moon is expected to be sighted a day later than in Saudi

Arabia.

Eid al-Adha, also called Bakrid, is a very crucial festival for Muslims all over the globe. It is also known as the “Festival of Sacrifice.” This day honours the story of Prophet Ibrahim, who was asked by God to sacrifice his son. Ibrahim agreed to follow God’s command, but before he could do it, God sent a sheep to be sacrificed instead. This shows the importance of faith, obedience, and trust in God. Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha by starting the day with a special prayer at mosques or open grounds. After the prayer, those who can afford it sacrifice an animal such as a goat or, sheep. Many Muslims also donate, do charity. Also Read | Eid al-Adha 2025 | Moon sighting timings in India, UK, US, and UAE. All you need to know On this day, families come together to enjoy meals, wear new clothes, and visit friends and neighbours. It is also a time to give charity and help others in need. In India, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Saturday, June 7, 2025, because the moon is expected to be sighted a day later than in Saudi Arabia. The festival date may vary slightly depending on local moon sightings, Let's have a look at the moon sighting timings in India June 6: Moonrise at 2:09 PM IST, Moonset at 1:59 AM (June 7) June 7: Moonrise at 5:24 PM IST, Moonset at 3:00 AM (June 8) When is it celebrated? The festival is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It coincides with the culmination of the sacred pilgrimage Hajj. It is one of the five pillars of Islam.

In India, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Saturday, June 7, 2025, because the moon is expected to be sighted a day later than in SaudiArabia.

Eid al-Adha 2025: Know the significance and date in India

SpaceX Starship flight 9 launched from Starbase, Texas, on 27 may 2025. The 400-foot rocket reached space, completed stage separation, and returned its super heavy booster. Shared live, the flight adds to Starship's progress toward moon and Mars missions.


SpaceX Starship flight 9 launched from Starbase, Texas, on 27 may 2025. The 400-foot rocket reached space, completed stage separation, and returned its super heavy booster. Shared live, the flight adds to Starship's progress toward moon and Mars missions.

SpaceX flight 9 marks progress toward Moon and Mars goals (See photos)

Of the eight planets in our solar system, four have rings - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. However, in the coming years, a fifth name might also be added to the list. Our neighbouring planet, Mars, is believed to form rings in the next 50 million to 70 million years. Surprisingly, this would not be the first time that the red planet would have rings. Scientists think that Mars has had rings in the past, shedding them and later again embracing them.&nbsp;The rings around Mars are a result of its moon Phobos. According to studies, Phobos disintegrates at a certain point in its life, and the debris surrounds the planet to form the rings.Phobos is one of Mars' two moons, the other one being Deimos.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/mysterious-structure-under-mars-can-force-olympus-mons-volcano-to-erupt-9074517">Mysterious structure detected under Mars can alter long-held belief about red planet</a>&nbsp;The former is slowly moving towards the planet, inching closer by about six feet every 100 years. At this rate, scientists say that Phobos will either crash into the planet or break apart.&nbsp;<h2>NASA studies on Mars and its moons</h2>&nbsp;NASA has carried out studies to learn more about Mars and its moons. One of them, conducted at Purdue University, noted that a cosmic body slammed into Mars around 4.3 billion years ago. The resulting debris spread around the planet, forming a ring. Over millions of years, this debris clumped together to create Phobos, Mars's moon.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/mars-had-lakes-and-water-honeycomb-waffle-structures-red-planet-9064048">NASA finds strange designs on Mars that hint at what happened 3.8 million years ago</a>&nbsp;This process is not a one-time thing. In fact, they discovered that Phobos regularly breaks apart, creating the temporary ring and later comes back together again to form the moon. Every time this process happens, the resulting moon is five times smaller than the previous one.&nbsp;<h2>Why is Phobos getting closer to Mars?</h2>&nbsp;Phobos is being pulled towards Mars by the planet's gravitational force. At one stage, it reaches the Roche limit. At this distance, the planet's tidal forces destroy Phobos since it is only held together by gravity.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/600-million-light-years-away-two-black-holes-are-caught-in-a-cosmic-mystery-9051067">This black hole can hold 1 million suns, but an even bigger monster near it poses a mystery</a>&nbsp;David Minton and Andrew Hesselbrock, who carried out the study at Purdue, believe this has already happened about three to seven times in the history of the planet.&nbsp;<h2>What about Mars' other moon, Deimos?</h2>&nbsp;Deimos is much farther away from Mars than Phobos. It is in an orbit at a distance of 23,460 km, while Phobos is only 6,000 km from Mars. Deimos is on exactly the opposite trajectory from Phobos.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/600-million-light-years-away-two-black-holes-are-caught-in-a-cosmic-mystery-9051067">Dead star travelling at 3.2mn km/h made kinks in cosmic 'snake'; radio signal offers clues</a>&nbsp;It is slowly moving away from Mars and is expected to escape its orbit in the coming years.&nbsp;<h2>Can Earth have rings?</h2>&nbsp;The scenario of our moon crashing into Earth is not likely since it is in a stable orbit. It is 384,400 km away from the planet, much farther than Phobos and Deimos are to Mars. In fact, our moon is also moving away from us, shifting about a few centimetres every year. However, it can change course in the distant future if things change in the solar system.

Mars had rings in the past and it can happen again. It has been engaged in a tussle with one of its moon for billions of years, and the fight is not expected to be over any time soon.

Of the eight planets in our solar system, four have rings - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. However, in the coming years, a fifth name might also be added to the list. Our neighbouring planet, Mars, is believed to form rings in the next 50 million to 70 million years. Surprisingly, this would not be the first time that the red planet would have rings. Scientists think that Mars has had rings in the past, shedding them and later again embracing them. The rings around Mars are a result of its moon Phobos. According to studies, Phobos disintegrates at a certain point in its life, and the debris surrounds the planet to form the rings. Phobos is one of Mars' two moons, the other one being Deimos. Also Read: Mysterious structure detected under Mars can alter long-held belief about red planet The former is slowly moving towards the planet, inching closer by about six feet every 100 years. At this rate, scientists say that Phobos will either crash into the planet or break apart. NASA studies on Mars and its moons NASA has carried out studies to learn more about Mars and its moons. One of them, conducted at Purdue University, noted that a cosmic body slammed into Mars around 4.3 billion years ago. The resulting debris spread around the planet, forming a ring. Over millions of years, this debris clumped together to create Phobos, Mars's moon. Also Read: NASA finds strange designs on Mars that hint at what happened 3.8 million years ago This process is not a one-time thing. In fact, they discovered that Phobos regularly breaks apart, creating the temporary ring and later comes back together again to form the moon. Every time this process happens, the resulting moon is five times smaller than the previous one. Why is Phobos getting closer to Mars? Phobos is being pulled towards Mars by the planet's gravitational force. At one stage, it reaches the Roche limit. At this distance, the planet's tidal forces destroy Phobos since it is only held together by gravity. Also Read: This black hole can hold 1 million suns, but an even bigger monster near it poses a mystery David Minton and Andrew Hesselbrock, who carried out the study at Purdue, believe this has already happened about three to seven times in the history of the planet. What about Mars' other moon, Deimos? Deimos is much farther away from Mars than Phobos. It is in an orbit at a distance of 23,460 km, while Phobos is only 6,000 km from Mars. Deimos is on exactly the opposite trajectory from Phobos. Also Read: Dead star travelling at 3.2mn km/h made kinks in cosmic 'snake'; radio signal offers clues It is slowly moving away from Mars and is expected to escape its orbit in the coming years. Can Earth have rings? The scenario of our moon crashing into Earth is not likely since it is in a stable orbit. It is 384,400 km away from the planet, much farther than Phobos and Deimos are to Mars. In fact, our moon is also moving away from us, shifting about a few centimetres every year. However, it can change course in the distant future if things change in the solar system.

Mars had rings in the past and it can happen again. It has been engaged in a tussle with one of its moon for billions of years, and the fight is not expected to be over any time soon.

Saturn is not the only planet with rings. Our close neighbour also had them, and they will return

Russia and China have signed a deal to build a nuclear power station on the Moon. The memorandum of cooperation on building a lunar power plant was inked earlier this month. Notably, Russia will provide the reactor to power the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). Plans about the station have been in the works for a few years now, and it is estimated to be ready by 2036.&nbsp;
It will be jointly led by China and Russia, according to a memorandum of cooperation signed by the two nations. A total of 17 countries have become part of the program.&nbsp;
Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, announced in a statement on May 8, "The station will conduct fundamental space research and test technology for long-term uncrewed operations of the ILRS, with the prospect of a human being's presence on the Moon."
Meanwhile, NASA's plans to send humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis mission seem to be in the doldrums following massive budget cuts by the Trump administration. A total of $879 million has been removed from NASA's funds, as the space agency has been told to phase out several of its programs.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dinosaur-in-india-maleriraptor-kuttyi-survived-mass-extinction-gondwana-9064669" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">Dinosaur that roamed India 220 million years ago identified as Maleriraptor kuttyi</a>
The lunar power station will be a permanent, manned base located on the moon's south pole.&nbsp;
Yury Borisov, the director general of Roscosmos, said in a 2024 interview with Russian state-owned news site TASS that the Chinese-Russian reactor will be built "without the presence of humans." He added that the technology to do so is in place, although he did not provide details about it.&nbsp;
<h2>Chang'e-8 mission will land a human on the moon</h2>
The ball for the lunar power station will be set rolling by China in 2028 with its Chang'e-8 mission that will attempt to land an astronaut on the lunar surface, a first for China.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science-tech/mars-had-lakes-and-water-honeycomb-waffle-structures-red-planet-9064048" rel="dofollow noopener" target="_blank">NASA finds strange designs on Mars that hint at what happened 3.8 million years ago</a>
In June 2021, China and Russia first announced to the world they would construct a lunar base. Parts for the station will be transferred to the moon over a period of six years, from 2030 to 2035. China's future plans include building a space station orbiting the moon and connecting it to a nuclear power station.&nbsp;
<h2>Lunar space station, lunar vehicles and more&nbsp;</h2>
The base would also be linked to two other nodes - one at the equator and the other on the far side of the moon, Wu Yanhua, the chief designer of China's deep exploration project, informed the media in 2024. Scientists are targeting completion of this extension by the year 2050. The ambitious program will include "lunar-Earth and high-speed lunar surface communication networks, as well as lunar vehicles like a hopper, an unmanned long-range vehicle, and pressurized and unpressurized manned rovers."
China has become extremely active in the space realm in the past few years. It has landed several rovers on the moon, besides the Zhurong rover on Mars. With Chang'e-6 mission, China successfully got back the first-ever lunar samples from the Moon's far side in June 2024. It also has plans to return samples from Mars soon.

Will NASA lose as China and Russia sign a deal for a nuclear power station on the moon? The two countries have signed a deal, while the American space agency's Artemis mission has taken a hit under Donald Trump. Science & Tech Trending

Russia and China have signed a deal to build a nuclear power station on the Moon. The memorandum of cooperation on building a lunar power plant was inked earlier this month. Notably, Russia will provide the reactor to power the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). Plans about the station have been in the works for a few years now, and it is estimated to be ready by 2036. It will be jointly led by China and Russia, according to a memorandum of cooperation signed by the two nations. A total of 17 countries have become part of the program. Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, announced in a statement on May 8, "The station will conduct fundamental space research and test technology for long-term uncrewed operations of the ILRS, with the prospect of a human being's presence on the Moon." Meanwhile, NASA's plans to send humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis mission seem to be in the doldrums following massive budget cuts by the Trump administration. A total of $879 million has been removed from NASA's funds, as the space agency has been told to phase out several of its programs. Also Read: Dinosaur that roamed India 220 million years ago identified as Maleriraptor kuttyi The lunar power station will be a permanent, manned base located on the moon's south pole. Yury Borisov, the director general of Roscosmos, said in a 2024 interview with Russian state-owned news site TASS that the Chinese-Russian reactor will be built "without the presence of humans." He added that the technology to do so is in place, although he did not provide details about it. Chang'e-8 mission will land a human on the moon The ball for the lunar power station will be set rolling by China in 2028 with its Chang'e-8 mission that will attempt to land an astronaut on the lunar surface, a first for China. Also Read: NASA finds strange designs on Mars that hint at what happened 3.8 million years ago In June 2021, China and Russia first announced to the world they would construct a lunar base. Parts for the station will be transferred to the moon over a period of six years, from 2030 to 2035. China's future plans include building a space station orbiting the moon and connecting it to a nuclear power station. Lunar space station, lunar vehicles and more The base would also be linked to two other nodes - one at the equator and the other on the far side of the moon, Wu Yanhua, the chief designer of China's deep exploration project, informed the media in 2024. Scientists are targeting completion of this extension by the year 2050. The ambitious program will include "lunar-Earth and high-speed lunar surface communication networks, as well as lunar vehicles like a hopper, an unmanned long-range vehicle, and pressurized and unpressurized manned rovers." China has become extremely active in the space realm in the past few years. It has landed several rovers on the moon, besides the Zhurong rover on Mars. With Chang'e-6 mission, China successfully got back the first-ever lunar samples from the Moon's far side in June 2024. It also has plans to return samples from Mars soon.

Will NASA lose because of Trump as China-Russia sign deal for nuclear power station on moon?

China and Russia are planning to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon to power their joint lunar research station. China aims to become a major space power and land astronauts on the moon by 2030.

Russia and China join hands to build lunar research station by 2035  |

This weekend's micromoon — the smallest full moon of the year — brings more than just a sky show. Coinciding with Hanuman Jayanti, Baisakhi, and Bak Poya, the rare celestial event carries spiritual meaning across cultures. Here's what makes this full moon special.

April Micromoon illuminates skies with spiritual significance worldwide

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