Prepare to be amazed! Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii captured two incredible moments: meteors slamming into the Moon, offering us a rare glimpse of cosmic collisions. These flashes, lasting mere seconds, were caused by space rocks impacting the lunar surface at incredible speeds, creating brilliant bursts of light.
As the Southern Taurid meteor shower approaches its peak around November 5th, and the Northern Taurids follow on November 9th, the night sky is already putting on a show. Fujii, curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum, used cameras aimed at the Moon's nightside to record these dramatic events, sharing the videos on his X account.
The first impact occurred on October 30th at 8:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time (equivalent to 6:30 a.m. EST or 1130 GMT), and the second on November 1st at 8:49 p.m. Japan Standard Time (6:49 a.m. EDT or 1149 GMT).
According to Fujii's calculations, the first meteor, which appeared east of the Gassendi Crater, was likely part of the Taurid meteor stream. It struck the Moon at a blistering 27 km/s (60,000 mph) at an angle of 35 degrees. The impactor, estimated to weigh about 0.4 pounds (0.2 kilograms), created a crater roughly 10 feet (3 meters) wide and produced a flash lasting just 0.1 seconds.
"The pixels were saturated, so it's possible the flash was even brighter than the recorded data suggests," Fujii told Space.com, highlighting the intensity of these events. The second flash appeared west of Oceanus Procellarum, one of the Moon's largest lunar maria.
While the exact origin of these impacts is still being determined, Fujii notes the timing aligns with the increased activity of the meteor showers. This observation is just the latest in a series of lunar impact observations by Fujii, who has become a leading figure in documenting such events.
Fujii's dedication to observing these lunar impacts is impressive. "I started observing lunar impact flashes around 2011 and have been continuously observing since 2020," he said. With his 20cm telescope, he typically detects about one impact flash every few dozen hours of observation. Due to the brief visibility of the thin crescent Moon and often unfavorable sky conditions, he observes only a few dozen flashes per year.
Fujii has documented a total of 60 flashes so far, showcasing his commitment to space observation.
Here's a key difference between Earth and the Moon: Unlike Earth, protected by a thick atmosphere that vaporizes most meteors, the Moon has virtually no atmosphere. This means incoming meteors aren't slowed down, slamming into the surface at speeds ranging from 45,000 to 160,000 mph (20 to 72 km/s), resulting in powerful bursts of light and heat.
And this is the part most people miss: Even small meteoroids can cause significant damage. A rock weighing just 11 pounds (5 kilograms) can create a crater over 30 feet (9 meters) wide, ejecting over 75 metric tons of lunar soil and rock, according to NASA. This highlights the incredible power of these cosmic impacts.
But here's where it gets controversial... Do you think these observations give us a better understanding of the frequency of meteor impacts on the Moon? Or do you think there's still much more to learn? Share your thoughts in the comments below! What are your thoughts on the impact of these events on future lunar exploration?
