Curiosity rover finds sulfur

On the surface (oh, pun intended), this seems like not a big deal. The curiosity rover rolled over a yellowish rock and it cracked open, revealing pure sulfur. 

And as the scientists studied a string of rocks in the area, they believe they may have stumbled onto an interesting geological find: what amounts to a sulfur quarry. 

It was unexpected find that may help us unlock more clues about mars and its history. 

https://www.sciencealert.com/curiosity-cracked-open-a-rock-on-mars-and-found-a-big-surprise

Mysterious monument unearthed

I'm always amazed at how we kind of forget about history and what may have stood in place at some point in time. 

Historians found a medieval site and thought it was linked to King Arthur. But after more study, they determined it was EVEN OLDER; they were only off by about 4,000 years. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historians-thought-this-was-a-medieval-site-linked-to-king-arthur-it-turned-out-to-be-a-mysterious-monument-built-4000-years-earlier-180985470/

Almost 30% of Microplastics Come From a Hugely Overlooked Source

Wow. Tires are the biggest single contributor to microplastics in our environment. 

Now the question is: what are we going to do about it?

https://www.sciencealert.com/almost-30-of-microplastics-come-from-a-hugely-overlooked-source

I don't think the simpsons had the right idea either …. But sarcasm is always appreciated. 

Message in a bottle

I love that during renovations, workers discovered a message from 132 years ago hidden in a wall. 

And that they plan to leave another message for future generations is a lot of fun. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/read-the-132-year-old-message-in-a-bottle-found-hidden-inside-the-walls-of-a-scottish-lighthouse-180985528/

Artemis moon mission delayed until 2027

The heat shield damage was concerning and everything is once again pushed back. 

No human moon landings in the near future…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/nasa-s-artemis-moon-mission-delayed-yet-again/vi-AA1vmcY7

Falcon 9 success

I may not like some (most?) or what Elon Musk is doing. But, he has moved the US very far ahead in space travel. 

As this article notes, his SpaceX company is profitable, and he can launch a payload 30x higher than the space shuttle at 1/100th of the cost. 

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/12/spacex-has-set-all-kinds-of-records-with-its-falcon-9-rocket-this-year/

Best aurora photos

Photographer Tom Rae was honored recently, as having taken one of the most amazing aurora photos ever. 

Simply remarkable. 

https://petapixel.com/2024/12/02/northern-lights-photographer-of-the-year-showcases-one-of-the-best-aurora-years-ever/