A SpaceX rocket carved out a crater on the moon as long as a bowling lane with ‘butterfly wing’ streaks
It took six days before the crash scene came into view
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured striking images of a crater formed by a SpaceX rocket's upper stage impact on the moon's surface. The August 5th collision, traveling at 5,400 mph, left a 60-foot-wide crater with intricate "butterfly wing" streaks. These dark and bright lines reveal excavated material and fresh rocks and dirt, respectively.
The orbiter's photos, taken a week after the event, reveal the fresh impact site from 60 miles away. South Korea's Danuri spacecraft was the first to observe the crater, while the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been studying the moon since 2009.
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