--- title: "Remember the “Moon Cube”? China Just Published a New Photo and Uhhhhh" description: "Dark Side of the Moon It was just a month ago that the world was introduced to the bizarre cube on the moon — and just like that, it’s gone. As SpaceNews correspondent Andrew Jones tweeted, the latest Chinese images of the “moon cube” that captured hearts and minds worldwide show that the mysterious object appears […]" date: "2022-01-07" modified: "2022-01-07" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/moon-cube-photo" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "lunar rover" - "moon" - "space exploration" - "the digest" --- # Remember the “Moon Cube”? China Just Published a New Photo and Uhhhhh ![It was just a month ago that the world was introduced to the bizarre cube on the moon — and just like that, it's gone.]() *\Image: CNSA\* ## Dark Side of the Moon It was just a month ago that the world was introduced to [what appeared to be]() a bizarre cube on the Moon — and just like that, now it turns out the object was little more than an optical illusion. As *SpaceNews* correspondent Andrew Jones [tweeted](), the [latest Chinese images]() of the "Moon Cube" from closer up now show that the mysterious object appears to be... well, a perfectly normal Moon rock. Sorry, folks. Sometimes space is boring. "Oh, this is amazing," Jones wrote. "Close to tears." https://twitter.com/AJ\_FI/status/1479431697389309960 ## Moonsta Hut The latest photos of the "mystery hut," as it was originally known in Chinese media, show that this relatively small rock sitting on the edge of a lunar crater isn't extraordinary in any way — and as the *SpaceNews* reporter wrote, the newly-dubbed "jade rabbit" is "so underwhelming it's brilliant." "The Moon's surface is 38 million square kilometres of rocks, so it would have been astronomically exceptional for it to be anything else," Jones [wrote in a subsequent tweet](). "But while small, the jade rabbit/玉兔 rock will also be a monumental disappointment to some." ## Galaxy Brain Before this underwhelming discovery, [conspiracy theories about the Moon Cube]() abounded, with netizens half-jokingly comparing it to the [scourge of monoliths]() that plagued Earth in the first pandemic summer, and others still advising the Chinese Yutu 2 rover to "go back in the other direction" and avoid it as if contaminated. There was always a great likelihood that the cube was going to be a plain ol' rock. But this does, if nothing else, set a hilarious tone for what's gearing up to be [a huge year in space exploration](). **More on the Moon Cube:** [*Chinese Rover Exploring What Appears to Be Cube-Shaped Object on Moon*]() **More on the Moon****:** *[Scientist Opening Sealed Container From Final Moon Landing]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()