This orientation prevented the lander's solar panels from capturing enough sunlight, and Intuitive Machines declared Athena dead on March 7. (The company's first moon lander, named Odysseus, also tipped over during its historic February 2024 touchdown but was able to operate for longer on the lunar surface.)

A rare blood moon lunar eclipse — which hasn’t happened in the U.S. since 2022 — was visible for skywatchers across most of North and South America, as well as the west side of Africa and Europe, the eastern parts of Australia and Russia and northern Japan.

The rare Blood Moon total lunar eclipse started lighting up the sky late Thursday with a bright full Moon. Why it matters: It's the only lunar eclipse visible from the U.S. this year and the first total lunar eclipse since November 2022.