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The idea of a billboard in space is comically sci-fi. They often show up in satirical visions of the future, which you might see in Futurama or Demolition Man.

But could they become a reality? There’s one man — wait for it — who might be pushing for the idea. Keep scrolling to learn more about this objectively terrible idea in this edition of Inverse Daily.

I’m Nick Lucchesi, and this is Inverse Daily. Tell a friend to subscribe using this link.

Question of the Day: Do you support the idea of billboards in space? Tell me why: newsletter@inverse.com.

This is an adapted version of the Inverse Daily newsletter for Wednesday, August 18, 2021. Subscribe for free and earn rewards for reading every day in your inbox. ✉️

SpaceX’s billboard in space: Is it legal? — Mike Brown reports that SpaceX wants to put an advertising billboard in space. The company will have to follow legal frameworks for doing so, experts explain:

Earth, sponsored by SpaceX?

This month, Business Insider reported that the spaceflight firm plans to send an advertising billboard into space. The project will consist of a tiny CubeSat-sized satellite with a pixelated screen on one side. The satellite is expected to launch in early 2022, and followers will see the screen from Earth thanks to an attached selfie stick pointed at the action.

In the race to commercialize space, an ad billboard is perhaps one of the least desirable outcomes — even though this one will likely be far smaller than anything you might see at the side of a highway.

Read the full story.

An ancient magnetism secret — Sarah Wells reports on researchers who have developed a way to study the ancient magnetism found in samples of rock from Neolithic civilizations:

Reaching out into the cosmos with invisible tendrils, magnetism is simultaneously otherwordly and mundane.

These forces can pin a photo to your fridge or even billow off Earth’s poles to combat solar wind, and now a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows magnetism can help us study the past as well.

Like fingerprints left on glass, pieces of clay or stone hold the memory of Earth’s magnetism from long ago deep inside them. And now, scientists have found a way to reveal these secrets from within pieces of flint — one of history’s most common materials. This includes the oldest magnetic intensity data from the Levantine region to date.

Read the full story.

Related stories:

• A new scientific theory debunks what we knew about the Moon
• An ancient ‘iron-smelting site’ may reveal Earth's magnetic future
• New space volcanoes change the search for life on Venus

Saturn’s rings reveal a “fuzzy” interior — Bryan Lawver has put together a gallery that shows Saturn's core may be much bigger and "fuzzier" than previously thought, according to a new study of the planet's rings using data from NASA's Cassini:

Understanding anything about a planet a billion miles from Earth is difficult. The challenge gets astronomically harder when scientists are trying to peer into the planet’s core. To understand how distant giant planets work inside, scientists generally examine gravitational field data captured by satellites, but this method has its limits.

Read the full story.

Related:

• A new study improves the odds of Enceladus having alien life
• The Earth’s core is even weirder than scientists realized
• NASA finally knows what is beneath the surface of Mars

SpaceX Mechazilla — Mike Brown reports that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has plans for a giant orbital arm that he claimed resembles a character from Godzilla:

SpaceX wants to get a grip on its new Starship rocket in more ways than one.

This month, CEO Elon Musk outlined how the firm plans to use a giant arm dubbed “Mechazilla” to move its new Starship rocket into position. In the future, the arm will also help SpaceX catch the ship after landing.

That could help the firm achieve its most ambitious targets, like launching the same Starship three times per day. That, in turn, means it has a chance of achieving its goal of a city on Mars by 2050.

Read the full story.

Go deeper:

• Starship could solve what Musk calls an “insanely hard problem”;
• 8 stunning images show Starship is ready for the Moon
• SpaceX Starship orbital flight: launch date and plan for Mars rocket test

2021's rarest Full Moon — Elana Spivack writes on the Blue Moon, which will occur soon:

Like the Blood Moon and the Pink Moon, the Blue Moon is a bit of a misnomer. When a Blue Moon occurs, the Full Moon doesn’t actually change color. But it is still a rare sight that’s worth stepping outside and looking up at the heavens for a moment this weekend.

Also called the Green Corn Moon, the Grain Moon, and the Sturgeon Moon, August’s Full Moon adds to an astronomically packed month. The astonishing Perseids meteor shower has already lit up the sky, and both Saturn and Jupiter are at their brightest.

To round it out, the Blue Moon is one heck of an encore. Here is the date, time, and how to see this sight — and some insight into all those nicknames for this celestial event.

Read the full story.

More reasons to look at the sky:

• Jupiter at opposition 2021: You need to see the biggest planet shine brightly
• 2021 Perseids meteor shower and more: Understand the world in 9 images
• Phobos: Why the largest Martian moon may reveal alien life

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