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Astronomers record meteorite hitting the Moon at 61,000kph during the full lunar eclipse — and leaving a big crater

An image of the moon half lit with a reddish tinge and a tiny white speck of light showing in the bottom left of the sphere
The impact flash on the Moon is visible bottom left.(

AP: Griffith Observatory

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Keen observers watching January's "super blood wolf Moon" may have observed two rare events for the price of one — a short-lived flash as a meteorite hit the Moon's surface.

Spanish astronomers have reported that a space rock hit the Moon at 61,000 kilometres per hour during the eclipse, carving out a crater nearly 15 metres across.

It was the first so-called "impact flash" ever observed during a lunar eclipse, according to the findings published in the Royal Astronomical Society's Monthly Notices.

The scientists — who operate a lunar impact detection system using eight telescopes in Spain — believe the object was a comet fragment weighing 45 kilograms and measuring up to 60 centimetres across.

The energy of the impact was apparently equivalent to 1.5 tonnes of TNT.

One of the study's authors, Jose Maria Madiedo, said it was "really exciting" to catch the brief flash after many previous attempts.


Unlike the Earth, the Moon has no atmosphere to protect it — so even tiny rocks can hit its surface.

These rocks often hit at huge speeds and are instantly vaporised, producing a flash of glowing debris that can be detected from Earth.

While the detection system — dubbed MIDAS — has captured numerous lunar impacts since the late 1990s, this was "the first time ever that an impact flash [was] unambiguously recorded during a lunar eclipse and discussed in the scientific literature", the study said.

Multiple wavelengths of light were captured, producing a high-fidelity view of the meteorite's impact with the Moon's surface.

The reddish-hued moon is visible behind some clouds above the mountain range.
People watch the 'super Moon' rise behind the downtown Los Angeles skyline in January.(

AP: Ringo HW Chiu


"The flash lasted 0.20 seconds and its peak luminosity in visible band was equivalent to the brightness of a magnitude 4.2 star," the report said.

Because it was fairly easy to see, the impact "was also spotted by casual observers that were taking images of the eclipse", the study said, some of whom posted their observations online.

Reddit user ahecht said at the time: "I saw a bright flash on the Moon opposite the remaining sunset sliver … right before the beginning of totality.

"I ran inside and checked [a Moroccan webcast of the eclipse] and it was visible there too, so it wasn't an airplane or something else local.

YouTube user Clifton Kern posted video recorded in Pennsylvania during the eclipse — the flash is visible in the bottom left of the Moon at 2:11:01.


According to the study, the Earth and the Moon are constantly hit by meteorites, and analysis of the collisions provides valuable data for scientists.

It can often be difficult though to see the impact flashes, depending on the brightness of the light emitted during the collision of a meteor with the Moon's surface.

Because most of the flashes are very dim, they must be recorded against a dark background, so scientists try to capture them happening on the "dark side" of the Moon.

A large moon rises behind the Empire State Building
The Moon is seen rising behind the Empire State Building before the eclipse.(

AP: Julio Cortez


There are only about 10 days per month when it's possible to capture the flashes, during the waxing and waning phases of the Moon — or during lunar eclipses, like the one that happened on January 21 this year.

But lunar eclipses don't last long, and it can be hard to spot the dimmer impact flashes, depending on how bright the eclipse is.

These and other factors might have contributed to the fact that, despite several researchers previously attempting to capture impact flashes during lunar eclipses, no one has succeeded until now.

Professor Madiedo said in a statement he was impressed when he observed the event as it was so bright, and added "something inside of me told me this time would be the time".

The team will continue monitoring meteorite impacts on the lunar surface to help them understand the risk they present to astronauts who plan to return to the Moon in the next decade.



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