Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Japanese Astronomer Captures Two Lunar Impact Flashes Two Days Apart

Confirmation now rests on targeted images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Overview

  • Daichi Fujii recorded brief, bright flashes on October 30 and November 1 from Hiratsuka, Japan, indicating meteoroids striking the Moon.
  • The first event occurred east of Gassendi Crater and the second near Oceanus Procellarum, each visible for a fraction of a second on the Moon’s night side.
  • Fujii’s calculations estimate the October 30 impactor at roughly 0.2 kilograms traveling about 27 km/s, likely excavating a crater near 3 meters wide.
  • The timing and geometry suggest a probable link to the Southern or Northern Taurid meteor showers active in late October and early November.
  • Fujii filmed at 270 frames per second and shared the videos on X; a veteran observer, he has documented about 60 lunar impact flashes since 2011.