The top 20 most random things that happened in 2020: Nos. 11-15

In the randomness of the year that was 2020, it’s no wonder some of the strangest stories came from the sky, space and even the great beyond.

And some stories were just plain out there.

Here’s some of the most random things to happen in 2020:

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15. NASA confirms water on the surface of the moon

Remember a simpler time, way back when the only thing we thought the moon was made from was cheese?

Well, NASA ruined that dream back in October when, for the first time ever, it confirmed water molecules on the sunlit surface of the moon were H20.

Don’t worry, though. The moon is still “really dry” — something like 100 times drier than the Sahara Desert.

And just to make sure the moon isn’t made from cheese, Colorado’s own Lockheed Martin Space got the go-ahead in December to build a spacecraft that will map the form and location of water on the moon. It’s scheduled to launch in February 2025.

Here’s hoping they don’t forget to pack the Nalgene.

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14. The Pentagon releases footage of UFOs

One of the more interesting stories of 2020 to fly under the radar — pun absolutely intended — was the Pentagon just causally dropping footage of Navy pilots encountering UFOs.

Why? Because 2020 wasn’t strange enough, of course.

Actually, the Pentagon released the footage to “clear up any misconceptions” about if the unclassified footage was real.

It is. And, apparently, the truth is out there. *Cue “X-Files” theme*

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13. Star much brighter than sun disappears from the sky

Let’s transition from things in the sky we can’t explain to things in the sky that, well, just up and vanished.

While technically a star residing 75 million light years away from Earth disappeared from astronomers’ views in 2019, the study confirming its absence was released in June.

There had been some speculation Earth’s weather patterns were to blame for obstructing scientists’ views of the star. Or it could have been the quirky timing of a cloud of cosmic dust that may have helped obscure astronomers’ views.

But the astrophysics team at Trinity College Dublin investigating the matter observed no star several months later, theorizing that the supermassive ball of gas did not go full supernova.

Instead, the theory goes, it collapsed into a blackhole without the explosive fanfare.

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12. Elon Musk and Grimes name their baby X Æ A-12

Back in May, billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk and his girlfriend, singer Grimes, announced the birth of their baby son — an event that most times goes relatively uncovered.

However, the announcement made headlines due to the name the proud parents chose for their boy — X Æ A-12.

In an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Musk identified the second character as “ash,” meaning the name would be pronounced X-(ash)-A-12.

But in a random plot twist to this already absurd story, the state in which Musk lives — California — regulates that birth certificates must contain only the 26 letters of the English alphabet.

So, maybe little X Æ A-12 has a fun new nickname in his future?

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11. Kanye West gifts Kim Kardashian with hologram of late father

The year 2020 saw the end of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” a failed Kanye West presidential run, and the divorce of said rap mogul and reality TV star.

But perhaps the strangest story coming out of the West-Kardashian camp was Kanye gifting Kim a hologram of her father, Robert Kardashian, for her 40th birthday in October.

The former member of the O.J. Simpson legal dream team and David Schwimmer doppelganger can be seen addressing the Kardashian clan from beyond the grave to wish Kim a happy 40th birthday.

Loving? Maybe. Haunting? Deeply.

You be the judge:

I can’t even describe what this meant to me and my sisters, my brother, my mom and closest friends to experience together. Thank you so much Kanye for this memory that will last a lifetime ✨ Here’s a more close up view to see the incredible detail. pic.twitter.com/XpxmuHRNok

— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) October 29, 2020