Abandoned spacecraft will hit with the force of three tons of TNT and leave behind a hole in the lunar surface

The stream of ejected material could stretch for several miles into space and remain visible to telescopes for tens of minutes.

A drifting SpaceX rocket stage will crash into the Moon, creating a significant crater and dust plume.

Abandoned spacecraft will hit with the force of three tons of TNT and leave behind a hole in the lunar surface

Astronomers' simulations predict what the lunar impact—and its aftermath—will look like