Tag

Lunar Impacts

All articles tagged with #lunar impacts

space20 days ago•159 min saved

Falcon 9 Moon Impact isn’t the first—lunar crashes span decades of space history

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 upper stage that collided with the Moon on Aug. 5 was unintentional, joining a long history of human-made lunar impacts. Observers tracked the plume and noted that both planned and accidental impacts—such as Luna 2 (1959), Ranger 4 (1962), LCROSS and Chandrayaan-1, and a 2022 Long March 3C hit—have helped study the Moon’s interior and the presence of water. With renewed lunar activity and Artemis-era plans, disposal and reuse of spacecraft are under discussion, but such impacts remain relatively rare compared with natural meteoroid strikes.

via Space|

#astronomy #lunar-impacts #lunar-missions

science4 months ago•3 min saved

Volunteers Aid NASA in Tracking Lunar Impact Flashes

During NASA's Artemis II lunar flyby, volunteers submitted impact-flash videos to the Impact Flash project; scientists combine Earth-based and spacecraft data to constrain the size and origins of lunar impactors and the craters they form, and plan to study moonquakes to probe the Moon’s interior, with ongoing opportunities for amateur astronomers to contribute via the project website.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#artemis-ii #lunar-impacts #moon

science4 months ago•5 min saved

Artemis II Captures Real-Time Moon Meteorite Flashes

During a roughly seven-hour lunar observation, Artemis II crew reported six meteorite flashes on the Moon—seen in real time as white-to-bluish pinpricks of light—mostly during a solar eclipse. Scientists say these were likely small projectiles and plan to compare the sightings with orbital data to estimate meteoroid flux near the Moon, informing future lunar-base planning.

via ScienceAlert|

#artemis-ii #lunar-impacts #meteorites

science9 months ago•1 min saved

Mysterious Bright Flashes and Crashes on the Moon Captured by Astronomers

An astronomer in Japan captured two bright flashes on the Moon caused by space objects colliding with its surface, providing insight into lunar surface changes and space debris impacts, though NASA has not yet verified these events.

via The Daily Beast|

#astronomy #lunar-impacts #moon

science1 year ago•2 min saved

Mysterious Meteor Impact Captured on Moon

Astronomer Daichi Fujii captured videos of bright flashes on the Moon, potentially caused by impacts from the Geminid meteor shower. These flashes, observed on December 8, coincide with the annual meteor shower known for its brilliant displays. The Moon, frequently hit by cosmic debris, has previously been impacted by Geminids, with NASA studies noting such events in 2006 and 2010. While it's not confirmed that the recent flashes are from Geminids, their direction suggests a possible link. The Geminids originate from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, whose sodium tail was recently studied by NASA and ESA.

via Gizmodo|

#astronomy #daichi-fujii #geminid-meteor-shower