New Scientist on MSN
Atmospheric pollution caused by space junk could be a huge problem
After a Falcon 9 rocket stage burned up in the atmosphere, vaporised lithium and other metals drifted over Europe. This growing type of pollution could destroy ozone and form climate-warming clouds ...
Recently, the rare scientific phenomenon received global attention after reports from Tehran in March 2026 indicated that residents observed ‘dark rain’ following airstrikes on oil storage facilities.
China is cleaning up its sulfur pollution, but the drop in airborne particles is revealing additional warming that concerns scientists.
First direct evidence shows rocket reentries can release lithium into the upper atmosphere. Measurements by Robin Wing et al. confirm pollution from a Falcon 9 reentry in February 2025.
Space junk returning to the Earth is introducing metal pollution to the pristine upper atmosphere as it burns up on re-entry, a new study has found. Published today in the journal Communications Earth ...
Cities are rapidly becoming the defining residential space of human life. Over 55% of the global population lived in urban ...
Direct detection of lithium from a SpaceX rocket reentry offers new evidence that metal pollution from space debris could ...
Urban vehicle emissions are a critical contributor to atmospheric pollution, impacting air quality, public health, and climate systems. While exhaust emissions—such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), ...
Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The fireball created by the rocket's upper stage streaking across the sky, seen in a long-exposure image above Berlin (Gerd ...
Carbon monoxide emissions from industrial production have serious consequences for human health and are a strong indicator of overall air pollution levels. Many countries aim to reduce their emissions ...
A plume of upper-atmospheric lithium pollution observed in February 2025 has been attributed to the re-entry of a specific rocket stage. The results, published in Communications Earth & Environment, ...
Results that may be inaccessible to you are currently showing.
Hide inaccessible results