Space & Physics: Is this where China's moon astronauts will land?

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March 12—This week's top stories include a new potential lunar landing site for China's astronauts, an appeal to save the night sky from swarms of satellites, a newborn magnetar, an exceptionally alcoholic interstellar comet and much more. Enjoy! Thoughts? Questions? Let me know via e-mail (lbillings@sciam.com), X or Bluesky. —Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Physical Sciences

Top Stories

It's time to speak out against the unchecked growth of satellite mega constellations Satellites are wonders of modern technology that have improved all of our lives. But having more than a million of them in orbit could destroy our view of the heavens and seriously damage our planet Phil Plait

Is this where China's astronauts will land on the moon? An obscure lunar region called Rimae Bode is emerging as a high-priority landing site for China's first crewed moon mission Lee Billings

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Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS is exceptionally alcoholic This interstellar visitor is "bursting with methanol," according to one scientist Jackie Flynn Mogensen

The universe's brightest supernovae are turbocharged by newborn magnetars A new study explains how some supernovae are particularly dazzling—the glow from a magnetic, spinning ball of neutrons called a magnetar. An assist from Einstein is what settled the case Joseph Howlett

Notorious asteroid 2024 YR4 won't crash into the moon after all Earthlings aren't the only ones safe from a city-wrecking-sized asteroid. Future lunar inhabitants won't have to worry about a strike in 2032 either Robin George Andrews

NASA changed an asteroid's orbital path around the sun, a first for humankind Smashing a spacecraft into a binary asteroid system has managed to alter its path around the sun, a new analysis reveals Jackie Flynn Mogensen

How to build a moon base China and the U.S. are in a high-stakes race to build permanent lunar outposts. Can both nations coexist on the moon? Leonard David, Lee Billings

NASA must delay deorbiting the ISS, U.S. lawmakers say U.S. lawmakers are moving to delay the International Space Station's retirement, giving more time for commercial replacements to be built Meghan Bartels

The sun and thousands of its twins migrated across the Milky Way just in time The sun rode a massive galactic migration wave to the Milky Way's suburbs Jacek Krywko

NASA space probe expected to reenter the atmosphere with a chance of raining debris Van Allen Probe A, which studied how our planet has been protected from harmful space radiation, could fall to Earth tonight. Here's what to know Jackie Flynn Mogensen

Your zodiac sign is likely wrong. Here's how to find the correct one The science of the zodiac is more intriguing than astrology would have you think Manon Bischoff

How to find pi in randomness all around you Random coin flips, floppy needles and mathematical mysteries reveal pi in new ways Emma R. Hasson

What We're Reading

China sets deep space ambitions in a new economic blueprint. | Space News Space Jam: NASA's MADCAP Team Directs Traffic at the Moon | The New York Times Ding-dong! The Exploration Upper Stage is dead | Ars Technica

From the Archive

How an Error in Cult Classic Game Doom Sparked New Appreciation for Pi What would the world look like if we changed the value of pi? Whether in the real world or a game environment, the answer is complex Manon Bischoff

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