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The Yutu-2 image of the ‘mysterious hut’. (CNSA/CLEP/Our Space) China's mysterious "Moon cube" is a mystery no longer. The big reveal: It's a rock that's not even shaped like a cube. The nation's Yutu-2 rover discovered the object – which appeared to be a gray cube looming on the lunar horizon – in early December. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) dubbed it 'mysterious hut', playfully speculating that the cube might be an alien house or spacecraft. News reports called it the 'Moon cube'. The CNSA estimated the object was about 80 meters (262 feet) away, according to the blog...

Last month, China's Yutu-2 rover sent home a striking image appearing to show—albeit very blurrily—a cube-shaped object off in the distance. Dubbed the "mystery house" by Chinese media (blissfully disinterested in how this would set off Western conspiracists, magonians and ironists) the object was tagged for closer inspection. Yutu-2 has now gotten closer, and, well, alas, sadly no.

The Yutu-2 rover is on a roll. It's been exploring the far side of the moon since early 2019, as part of China's Chang'e-4 lunar lander mission. It now has its eyes set on a strange-looking cube-shaped object it spotted in the distance. Yutu-2's view of the cube is fuzzy and far-off, so the object's true nature should become clearer as the rover gets closer. The most likely explanation is a boulder. This part of the moon is pockmarked with impact craters, which can feature quite a bit of chunky debris. The Chang'e-4 mission represents the first surface exploration of...