NASA has captured the largest explosion ever seen on the moon, the agency announced yesterday. They have been monitoring meteoroid explosions on the Moon since 2005, according to the Atlantic.
A meteor crashed into the Moon in March, causing a burst of light that was so bright it was visible to the naked eye. It was nearly ten times as bright as any other previously recorded lunar impact.
"For about one second the impact site was glowing like a 4th magnitude star," NASA said in a statement.
The impact of the crashing 40 kg rock was not seen in real time, but was picked up by satellites pointing at the Lunar surface and was later noticed by an analyst reviewing footage.
Scientists think the meteor was part of a larger shower of rocks that originated from an asteroid belt, which reached Earth before disintegrating into the atmosphere.
"We'll be keeping an eye out for signs of a repeat performance next year when the Earth-Moon system passes through the same region of space," Bill Cooke said from NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.
The Moon has no atmosphere to protect it from meteoroids, which do not burn up as they reach the surface.
The space agency is watching meteor activity to learn more about periodic space weather and its potential impact on future missions to the Moon. Over the past eight years, NASA scientists have observed more than 300 impacts.
Lunar meteors don't require oxygen or combustion to be seen. They hit the ground with so much kinetic energy that even a pebble would create a crater several feet wide. The flash of light results from the thermal glow of molten rock and hot vapors at the site of impact.
In the explosion on March 17, which occurred during a period of increased meteor activity in Earth's atmosphere, the rock hit the Moon at a speed of 56,000 miles per hour. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will search for a new crater that could be up to 20 feet wide as a result of the impact.
NASA video of the moon explosion.
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