So I'm going to mix things up a bit this week. First off, you get a selection of soundtracks. Then we'll do some normal sky candy, and then I have a special section of Starlink, SpaceX, and space exploration news.
And now for something completely different.
Do you remember the Bill Cosby routine about having his tonsils out? "Hey, you! Almost a doctor!"
"Hey you, almost a star!"
A rogue object so strange, scientists aren’t sure what to call it.
— Curiosity (@MAstronomers) December 2, 2025
It’s called SIMP J01365663+0933473 – or SIMP 0136 for short. About 13 times the mass of Jupiter, it’s what scientists call a “free-floating planetary-mass object.” That means it’s massive like a gas giant planet,… pic.twitter.com/iAadDcCobO
As you may remember, we've had a bit of excitement in the solar weather for the last few weeks. Here's a different view.
On Nov 13th, there was a solar particle event that resulted in beautiful blankets of aurora. You may have seen it. We had the most amazing view and our crew collectively took thousands of photos and dozens of time lapses. Here is one of those time lapses. Nov 13th. Nikon Z9 |… pic.twitter.com/FanNlqnxS5
— Jonny Kim (@JonnyKimUSA) December 3, 2025
Now, I'd be worried about the radiation dose, but in another post, Jonny Kim said the ISS is well-shielded.
In the meantime, some new and interesting data from the Bennu samples has arrived. It turns out that among the rocks, there are complex sugars as well as amino acids and nucleobases, which you may remember from film strips and videos, are the Basis Of All Life.
BREAKING: Sugars essential for life have been found in pristine asteroid Bennu samples collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Combined with previous detections of amino acids and nucleobases, we see that life’s ingredients were widespread throughout the solar system:… pic.twitter.com/l4Rz9Tbq5C
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) December 2, 2025
Some fun pictures from Mars. I asked my research assistant about this:
- ESA's Mars Express orbiter captured a 15-by-20 km butterfly-shaped crater in Idaeus Fossae, formed by an oblique meteorite impact that ejected dusty material in wing-like patterns, as detailed in their December 3, 2025 release.
- Such "butterfly craters" result from low-angle collisions, typically under 15 degrees, which concentrate ejecta along the impact direction rather than radially, a phenomenon confirmed by peer-reviewed analyses of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter data showing similar features in layered terrains.
Our #MarsExpress spots a strange shape on Mars, formed as a space rock collided with the planet's dusty surface.
— ESA Science (@esascience) December 3, 2025
It's known as a 'butterfly crater' but we see a walnut, an insect, the Eye of Sauron, or perhaps a moth... what do you think?
More info and images 👉… pic.twitter.com/pMJwzP9nrw
NASA has some interesting audio from Mars as well. While we're at it, here are some details:
- NASA's Perseverance rover's SuperCam microphone captured 55 electrical discharge events on Mars since 2021, including 16 during dust devil passages, confirming triboelectric sparks from dust grain friction via distinct "crackle" and "pop" sounds.
- In Mars' thin atmosphere, static charges build to 10,000 volts more easily than on Earth, producing mini-sonic booms from supersonic shock waves, as theorized for decades but now evidenced by synchronized audio and electromagnetic data.
- These sparks may drive chemical reactions forming oxidizing compounds that hinder organic preservation, potentially explaining methane fluctuations and informing dust-lifting models for future Mars missions.
Oddly, there weren't a lot of new nebula pictures this week. I don't know if the gasworks took Thanksgiving off or what. But here's a fun image.
What our night sky would look like if the Andromeda Galaxy were brighter... pic.twitter.com/lPYjM5cCpW
— Curiosity (@MAstronomers) December 4, 2025
I love Kurzgesagt videos. Here's one on the excitement in cosmology. It's usually called "the crisis in cosmology," but as Isaac Asimov said, real science happens when someone looks at an observation and says, "That's funny..."
Special SpaceX and Starlink News
ELON MUSK: Even industry experts, when we showed a picture of the Raptor 3, said, 'That engine is not complete.' So then we said, 'Well, here's the engine, not complete, firing at a level of efficiency that has never been achieved before
— X Freeze (@XFreeze) December 4, 2025
➝ Heat Shield Removal: The Raptor 3 is… pic.twitter.com/RJ65gLmV3w
Musk has openly said the mission of Starlink is to make humanity multiplanetary.
True story. When cell phones first came out, some guy in some story was trying to sell me one. one of those bricks that looked like a WWII walkie-talkie. My reaction was "Noooo, I have enough trouble escaping the phone as it is!" But then, when my mom was in her final illness, I had to get one, and since then, my only escape has been to find someplace that's got no cell service.
SpaceX filed to trade mark Starlink Mobile.
— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) December 5, 2025
This will be a game changer. 5G connectivity anywhere in the world— no need for roaming.
I would switch my current phone plan to SpaceX in a second. https://t.co/4BfU9hakW2 pic.twitter.com/sAgokumqs4
So much for that.
Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, of the Lockheed Skunk Works, birthplace of the A-11, SR-71, and U-2, was reputed to have said, "The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer." Turns out no one knows who first said it — possibly Napoleon? — but it's certainly something SpaceX has taken to heart.
ELON MUSK: Even industry experts, when we showed a picture of the Raptor 3, said, 'That engine is not complete.' So then we said, 'Well, here's the engine, not complete, firing at a level of efficiency that has never been achieved before
— X Freeze (@XFreeze) December 4, 2025
➝ Heat Shield Removal: The Raptor 3 is… pic.twitter.com/RJ65gLmV3w
The demonstration.
Raptor V3 Ascent Run
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 4, 2025
pic.twitter.com/7vtj3cDdX0
The stated corporate purpose for Starlink was to make humanity multiplanetary. It's keeping its eyes on the prize.
🔴 Passing through the Gateway to Mars
— Steve Jurvetson (@FutureJurvetson) December 5, 2025
Inside the new Starbase building today, a looming reminder of the mission overhead.
Mars is a good substrate for making humans. It has plenty of carbon for making food for a growing population (the atmosphere is 95% CO2, with plenty of… pic.twitter.com/pbhnzUYTix
