NASA astronaut posted a photo on social media of a bizarre object growing in space

Solar activity can be dangerous to astronauts in space. As Artemis II prepares to launch on April 1, NASA will be monitoring the Sun’s eruptions to help keep the Artemis crew safe from excess radiation.

The internet went into a frenzy on Friday when a NASA astronaut shared a weird alien-looking photo on social media.

The photo showed an object that was floating in the air and appeared to be purple, egg-shaped with tentacles spouting out of it.

NASA PAUSES GATEWAY LUNAR-ORBIT SPACE STATION TO BUILD LUNAR BASE ON THE MOON

Users were in utter shock when they saw the photo. One user responded to the astronaut by telling him to “kill it with fire.”

Astronaut Don Pettit shared a photo of a weird object growing on the International Space Station.

(Don Pettit/X / FOX Weather)

Another said, “looks like a mimic hatching out of an egg,” referring to the movie, “Prey.”

One user even joked by commenting, “Bro, I genuinely thought this was some kind of egg hatching.”

WATCH: NASA’S HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE CAPTURES RARE PROOF OF COMET BREAKING APART

Although the photo is very strange, the object isn’t evidence of extraterrestrial life forms but is rather a normal everyday item.

The astronaut, Donald Pettit, who snapped the picture, posted on X that the object was a potato he had been growing in his space garden.

Tentacles are seen spouting out of an object that is growing on the International Space Station.

(Don Pettit/X / FOX Weather)

“Spudnik-1, an orbiting potato on @Space_Station,” astronaut Pettit said on X.

Astronaut Pettit took the photo in the middle of Expedition 72 on the International Space Station (ISS), which took place from September 2024 to April 2025.

“I flew potatoes on Expedition 72 for my space garden, an activity I did in my off-duty time,” astronaut Pettit said. “This is an early purple potato, complete with a spot of Velcro hook to anchor it in my improvised grow light terrarium.”

Crew-12 successfully launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early this morning. The 4-person team is set to dock at the International Space Station on Saturday, Feb. 14, and remain at the iSS for eight months.

Pettit continued to tell users that he was inspired by Andy Weir’s book and movie “The Martian” to start growing potatoes.

“Potatoes are one of the most efficient plants based on edible nutrition to total plant mass (including roots),” Pettit said. “Potatoes will have a place in future exploration of space. So, I thought it was good to get started now.”

HERE’S WHY NASA WILL MONITOR THE SUN FOR SOLAR ERUPTIONS DURING ARTEMIS II MISSION

According to NASA, astronauts have been growing plants in the space garden for years in order to study plant growth in microgravity, while adding fresh food to the astronauts’ diet.

In recent years, NASA has successfully grown three types of lettuce, Chinese cabbage, mizuna mustard, red Russian kale and zinnia flowers in space.

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How the new WNBA CBA will impact every player’s salary in 2026

Michael VoepelMar 21, 2026, 05:23 PM ET
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The WNBA players had many issues to negotiate with their new collective bargaining agreement, some more complicated than others. But salary is a currency every worker understands, and the league will offer historical gains in players’ salaries for 2026 and beyond.

The WNBA board of governors unanimously ratified the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement on Tuesday, one day after the players also unanimously approved the seven-year CBA. But the league’s general managers are already hard at work with the compressed timeline for building their teams this season. The expansion drafts for new franchises Toronto and Portland will be April 6, followed by a massive free agency period expected to start April 7 and the collegiate/overseas draft April 13.

Now that we have more of the specifics of salary structure, here are some examples of what it will look like for players of all levels for the 2026 season, when the salary cap will be $7 million per team, compared to $1.5 million in 2025.

Jump to salaries: Elite veteran | Average veteran | Minimum veteran | Elite rookie | Top draft picks

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Elite veteran

Example: A’ja Wilson, 6-foot-4 center

Age to start this season: 29
Years of WNBA experience: 8
2025 salary: $200,000
Projected 2026 salary: $1.4 million, supermax

Wilson won her third WNBA title and unprecedented fourth MVP award in 2025. The 2018 No. 1 draft pick by the Las Vegas Aces, Wilson has averaged 21.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in her career. The Las Vegas Journal-Review has reported that the Aces are eager to sign the free agent Wilson to a supermax deal.

Last season, Wilson took a pay cut from the supermax, which was then $249,244, to help the Aces afford the championship roster around her. She wasn’t her team’s highest-paid player in 2025; that was guard Jewell Loyd, who made $249,032.

Wilson has been so valuable and durable for the Aces that it seems likely she will get paid as much as is allowed this season. Plus, the cash value for various league awards also is increasing. Should Wilson win a fifth MVP this season, it would be worth $60,000, compared to $15,450 last year.

As for other elite players, the max salary for 2026 will be $1.19 million.

Average salary veteran

Example: Alanna Smith, 6-4 forward

Age to start this season: 29
Years of WNBA experience: 7
2025 salary: $150,000
Projected 2026 salary: $600,000

The WNBA is listing the “average” salary as being $583,800 in 2026, which is an estimate. We will get a better sense of the actual range for elite and midtier veteran salaries by observing how general managers build teams under the new CBA.

Smith, drafted No. 8 in 2019, spent four seasons establishing herself before she really clicked with the Chicago Sky as a starter in 2023. The past two seasons, she has been a big part of the Minnesota Lynx, helping them make the WNBA Finals in 2024 and earning co-Defensive Player of the Year with Wilson in 2025.

Smith is the kind of reliable veteran essential for a team seeking a championship. She just won the Unrivaled title with Mist.

Minimum salary veteran

Erica Wheeler, 5-7 guard

Age to start this season: 35
Years of WNBA experience: 10
2025 salary: $78,831
Projected 2026 salary: $300,000

Wheeler made the veteran minimum last season with the Seattle Storm, averaging 10.3 points and 3.3 assists. The season before that, with the Indiana Fever, she made $202,154 and averaged 3.6 points and 1.8 assists. She gave as much effort and dedication in both situations, which partly explains her value even in her mid-30s.

Wheeler’s experience and team-first mindset can help a franchise. Plus, she still has on-court skills, as we saw during the Unrivaled season. The minimum for players with zero years of experience is $270,000; one to three years is $277,500; four to six years is $285,000; seven to nine years is $292,500; and 10 or more is $300,000. Wheeler will at least be in that last category.

Undrafted out of Rutgers in 2013, she had to work to earn a spot in the league. She has carried an underdog mentality gracefully, including as All-Star Game MVP in 2019. The way Wheeler welcomed and treated Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark in 2024 was the type of leadership general managers notice.

Elite rookie contract

Example: Caitlin Clark, 6-0 guard

Age to start this season: 24

Years of WNBA experience: 2
2025 salary: $78,066
Projected 2026 salary: $530,000

The standard WNBA rookie contracts have been for three years with a club option for a fourth, with players earning more for being drafted higher. The union made it a priority to get better pay for the 2026 incoming rookies and players such as Clark, whose existing rookie deals will be adjusted — reduced by 4% for each year elapsed since signing — to the new CBA parameters. For Clark, the No. 1 pick in 2024 entering the third year of her rookie deal, that should be nearly $530,000.

And thanks to a new CBA feature called “EPIC” — Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract — players can renegotiate the fourth year of their rookie deal and agree to a three-year contract extension. Honors such as being named to the All-WNBA first or second team could get them a max deal, or winning MVP a supermax deal. Clark was limited to 13 games last year due to injuries. But she was All-WNBA as a rookie in 2024 and thus will be eligible for a max deal in 2027.

This CBA dramatically improves all players’ salaries. For those still on rookie deals, the difference between what they would have gotten under the old CBA and what they could get now is particularly striking because of how much it accelerates their earning potential.

Projected 2026 No. 1 draft pick

Example: Azzi Fudd, 5-11 guard

Age to start this season: 23

Projected 2026 salary: $500,000

Fudd was eligible age-wise for the WNBA draft last season since she had redshirted at UConn in 2023-24. But she opted to use her final year of college eligibility and is chasing a perfect season and a second consecutive NCAA championship with the Huskies. She will benefit by starting her WNBA career under the new CBA.

The rookie salary scale for 2026 starts at $500,000 for the No. 1 pick. The second pick gets $466,913, the third $436,016, etc., and finishes at $289,133 for the last seven picks in the first round. Second- and third-round picks and any other rookies get $270,000.

The WNBA draft is scheduled for April 13, with the Dallas Wings having the No. 1 pick. Fudd, Spain’s Awa Fam and TCU‘s Olivia Miles are projected as the top-three picks in ESPN’s most recent mock draft.

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Game Preview #73 – Timberwolves vs. Rockets

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Houston Rockets
Date: March 25th, 2026
Time: 8:30 PM CDT
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: ESPN, FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves App, iHeart Radio

When the Minnesota Timberwolves walked out of TD Garden with a victory, their first in that building since 2005, it wasn’t just another road win. It was the kind of bizarre, rollercoaster performance that perfectly encapsulates this entire Timberwolves season.

Maybe even more impressively, it was the second time in about a month they slayed a two-decade dragon. First Toronto. Now Boston. What’s next? A 37-year NBA Finals drought???

But here’s the thing. If you tuned in early, you probably weren’t thinking “professional win.” You were thinking, “Oh no, here we go again...“

The Wolves Flip the Script

The opening minutes looked exactly like a team missing its superstar playing on the road against a contender. The Wolves came out disjointed, sloppy, and unable to buy a basket. They were turning the ball over and struggling to generate any sort of offensive rhythm. Boston held a 15-point lead in the 2nd quarter, and it felt like one of those nights where the postgame write-up basically writes itself: “They fought hard, but without Edwards…”

And then, because this team refuses to follow any predictable script, they flipped it. Minnesota steadied itself. The defense tightened. The ball movement improved. Shots started to fall. And slowly but surely, that 15-point deficit disappeared… until somehow, almost unbelievably, the Wolves took the lead into halftime on a Bones Hyland buzzer beater.

Right on cue, the third quarter began with Boston ripping off an 11–0 run, part of a brutal trend where Minnesota was outscored 22–2 to start the first and third quarters combined. That’s the kind of stat that usually ends games. That’s the moment where most teams, especially shorthanded ones, fold.

But not this group. Not on this night. Instead of spiraling, they regrouped again. The defense locked back in. The offense found its footing. And from that point forward, Minnesota outplayed Boston on its home floor, grinding out a win that had no business existing based on how the game started.

That’s the paradox of this team in a nutshell. They can look completely lost… and then turn around and beat a contender in its own building.

Without Anthony Edwards, this game needed someone, or multiple someones, to step into the vacuum. And once again, it was the backcourt duo of Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Highland who answered the call.

Ayo continues to look like one of the most important midseason additions this team has made in years. He plays with control, makes smart reads, and most importantly, shoots with confidence and efficiency. When he’s knocking down threes and keeping the offense moving, the Wolves feel organized, which is something that hasn’t always been the case this season.

Bones, meanwhile, brought exactly what Bones always brings: instant offense. The kind of microwave scoring that can swing a quarter in a matter of minutes. His ability to heat up quickly has become invaluable in this stretch without Edwards.

Together, they provided the offensive spark Minnesota needed, continuing a trend that’s quietly become one of the most important storylines of the Edwards absence.

Here’s what makes this win both encouraging and frustrating at the same time. The Wolves have now shown they can beat elite teams, even on the road, without Anthony Edwards. And yet, against the teams they’re directly battling in the standings? They’re 2–9 against the Lakers, Nuggets, Suns, and Rockets.

That’s not bad luck. That’s a pattern.

Which is why what comes next matters more than what just happened.

Houston and a Season-Altering Opportunity

Wednesday’s matchup against Houston isn’t just another game.

The Wolves are tied in the standings with the Rockets, and unlike with the Lakers or Nuggets, this is one of the few scenarios where Minnesota can still flip the tiebreaker in its favor.

Win this game, and suddenly you’re talking about climbing into the top four. Lose it, and you’re once again chasing ground you’ve already given away too many times this season.

And the Wolves will likely have to do it, again, without Anthony Edwards.

Which means everything we saw in Boston needs to carry over.

#1. Lean into connected, disciplined team defense.
What worked in Boston wasn’t just effort. It was structure. The Wolves stayed connected, rotated properly, and forced the Celtics into difficult looks while limiting the damage from secondary options. Against Houston, that same formula has to apply. You’re not stopping Kevin Durant. You’re trying to contain him, and that requires five-man defensive cohesion, not just individual matchups.

#2. Win the rebounding battle and control the paint.
Houston is a physical team that thrives on second-chance opportunities. If Gobert and Randle don’t show up on the glass, this game will tilt quickly. Minnesota has to treat every missed shot like a 50/50 ball and put forth pure effort on the boards. This is a game where Gobert needs to feel like a vacuum.

#3. Continue the backcourt production without Edwards.
Ayo and Bones don’t need to replicate Edwards individually. but collectively, they need to continue filling that scoring and playmaking gap. If they can combine for another strong offensive performance, it gives Minnesota a legitimate pathway to generating enough offense against a tough Houston defense.

#4. Demand more from Randle and McDaniels as offensive initiators.
Without Edwards, the burden shifts. Randle needs to be both a scorer and facilitator, while McDaniels has to remain aggressive and attack mismatches. Passive play from either one will stall the offense and allow Houston to dictate the game.

#5. Stay composed when the game tightens.
This is where the Wolves have failed repeatedly this season. In big moments of big games with big stakes, things have unraveled. Against Houston, that cannot happen. The Wolves need to stay within themselves, avoid the careless turnovers, play settled and focused basketball, and trust the system that worked in Boston.

A Chance to Change the Narrative

Beating Boston was impressive. Beating Houston would be meaningful.

Because this season, more than anything, has been defined by missed opportunities in games that matter most.

This is one of those games.

The Wolves have shown they can rise to the occasion. Now they have to prove they can do it when it actually changes something.

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Can Pegula snap skid vs. Rybakina?

MIAMI — With Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova booking their spots n the semifinals of the Miami Open Tuesday, the final two will be determined in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

World No. 2 Elena Rybakina and No. 5 Jessica Pegula will encounter for the third time this season, while reigning champion and top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka will face a red-hot Hailey Baptiste, who eyes a major upset for her second WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz semifinal.

Here’s everything to know about Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchups:

Rybakina vs. Pegula

Head-to-Head: Rybakina leads 5-3
Last meeting: Rybakina d. Pegula 6-1, 7-6 (4) at 2026 Indian Wells quarters

Why Rybakina? This matchup has become quite the common occurrence as of late, with Wednesday’s meeting being the third this year on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz and fifth since September, including Billie Jean King cup. Rybakina has won the last four against Pegula, including the semifinals of the 2025 WTA Finals and 2026 Australian Open, both of which the Kazakh ultimately lifted the champion’s trophy.

In Miami, Rybakina hasn’t dropped a set, not conceding more than four games in any of them. On serve, she’s only been broken once, saving six of the seven break points she has faced. Pegula however has broken Rybakina eight times combined in their last three matchups, but if Rybakina can hold as she commonly does, it’ll keep Pegula at bay.

“Definitely I need to serve well,” Rybakina said. “That’s my biggest weapon, and try to be fresh and move well because here it’s a little bit faster than last match we played at Indian Wells. The ball doesn’t bounce as much”

On the line: From last year’s Miami Open, Rybakina could win her 16th match against a top 10 player in the PIF WTA Rankings. Only Sabalenka (17) has more.*

Why Pegula? Aside from Rybakina and Sabalenka, Pegula has arguably been playing as one of the top three players on tour right now. Aside from a quarterfinal defeat, to Rybakina, at Indian Wells, she had a stretch of seven consecutive tournaments where she reached the semifinals, including her run to the Dubai title in February.

The American is serving incredibly, coming into the tournament ranked fifth in aces, and she’s now reached her fifth straight Miami quarterfinal. Pegula can compete with Rybakina, and each of their last two meetings has seen the second set go to a tiebreak that Pegula just fell short.

“I wish I was playing her a bit later in the tournament, but she’s kind of the player to beat right now,” Pegula said of Rybakina. “Between Aryna and her, I think they are the two best players in the world right now when they’re at their best.

“Just going to have to figure out something different that I can do to hopefully take it a little bit further and try at least get a set or get the win next time we play.”

On the line: With a win, Pegula could reach her eighth semifinal in her last nine tour-level events.

Sabalenka vs. Baptiste

Head-to-Head: First career meeting

Why Sabalenka? The World No. 1 Sabalenka has been a formiddable opponent for anyone, having just lost one match this season (Australian Open final to Rybakina). She’s already claimed two trophies in Brisbane and Indian Wells, and with a win in Miami, she can sweep the Sunshine Double and defend her crown from a year ago.

Aside from the WTA Finals in Riyadh (where there’s only eight participants), she’s reached 15 straight tournament quarterfinals, and last lost to an unseeded opponent in the semifinals of Berlin last June. Her power stacks up well against player on tour, and that will be a key factor against an opponent who also thrives on her serve.

“I feel like my team already have a game plan, but tomorrow, we’re definitely going to watch some tennis,” Sabalenka said. “We’re going to have a hit and prepare as good as possible for the match.

“I’ve been watching couple of games of her. She’s playing great tennis. Great variety in the game, great serving.”

On the line: If Sabalenka wins in straight sets, she’ll have 10 consecutive victories at the Miami Open at two sets to love. Only Serena Williams has more with 11 from 2002 to 2003.*

Why Baptiste? The World No. 45 is the lone unseeded player remaining in the Miami field, and she’ll have her first crack at a World No. 1 matchup. Defeating three seeded players in [19] Liudmila Samsonova, [9] Elina Svitolina and [25] Jelena Ostapenko so far, Baptiste has won four straight main draw tour-level matches for the first time in her career.

All four wins has been in straight sets, and she notched 11 aces vs. Ostapenko. She’s yet to the face the power of Sabalenka, but she’ll have nothing to lose as this is just her third tour-level quarterfinal. Though she did not have a first-round bye like the other quarterfinalists, her 103 winners are most of any player.

“I think that I’ve always believed that, and I’ve always known that I know what I can do on the court,” Baptiste said. “There’s a few things that I need to fix and get better at, and I think I’ve just paid more attention to that and focused on those things a little bit more, and just taking my time and trusting the process.”

On the line: With a win, Baptiste is guaranteed to equal her best finish at a WTA event, reaching the semifinals in Abu Dhabi during the Middle East swing.*

Data courtesy of OptaFacts

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