Imagine witnessing not one, but two meteors crashing into the moon in a matter of days—a celestial spectacle that’s both breathtaking and scientifically fascinating. That’s exactly what happened on October 30 and November 1, when Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii, curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum, captured these rare moments on camera. But here’s where it gets even more intriguing: these flashes, visible from Earth for just a fraction of a second, were the result of space rocks colliding with the moon’s surface at staggering speeds, creating explosions of light so intense they could be seen from our planet.
As the Southern Taurid meteor shower nears its peak around November 5, followed by the Northern Taurids on November 9, the skies are already alive with activity—both on Earth and, as Fujii’s footage reveals, on the moon. Using cameras aimed at the moon’s nightside, Fujii shared the dramatic videos on his X account, offering a rare glimpse into these cosmic collisions. The first impact occurred at 8:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time (6:30 a.m. EST) on October 30, while the second followed at 8:49 p.m. JST (6:49 a.m. EDT) on November 1.
And this is the part most people miss: Fujii’s analysis suggests the October 30 flash, which appeared east of the Gassendi Crater, was likely part of the Taurid meteor stream. The impactor struck the moon at a mind-boggling 27 km/s (60,000 mph) and an angle of 35 degrees. Despite its small size—just 0.4 pounds (0.2 kilograms)—it excavated a crater roughly 10 feet (3 meters) wide and produced a flash lasting a mere 0.1 seconds. Fujii noted, ‘The pixels were saturated, so the flash might have been even brighter than what we recorded.’ The second flash, on November 1, appeared west of Oceanus Procellarum, one of the moon’s vast lunar maria.
While it’s not yet confirmed whether these impacts were tied to the Taurids or were simply random events, the timing certainly raises eyebrows. Fujii points out that these observations coincide with the showers’ heightened activity, adding to his growing portfolio of lunar impact recordings. Since 2020, he’s been tirelessly monitoring these events, detecting about one impact flash every few dozen hours of observation with his 20cm telescope. Yet, due to the challenges of observing the thin crescent moon, he records only a few dozen flashes annually, bringing his total to 60 so far.
Here’s the controversial part: Unlike Earth, which is shielded by a thick atmosphere that vaporizes most meteors, the moon’s virtually non-existent atmosphere offers no protection. This means meteors crash into its surface at speeds ranging from 45,000 to 160,000 mph (20 to 72 km/s), releasing explosive bursts of light and heat. Even tiny meteoroids, weighing just a few pounds, can carve out craters tens of feet wide. For instance, a 11-pound (5-kilogram) rock can create a crater over 30 feet (9 meters) wide and eject more than 75 metric tons of lunar material, according to NASA.
This raises a thought-provoking question: How do these constant impacts shape the moon’s surface over time, and what can they teach us about our own planet’s history? Fujii’s work not only highlights the moon’s vulnerability but also underscores the importance of studying these events to better understand our cosmic neighborhood.
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