Overview
- Daichi Fujii of Japan’s Hiratsuka City Museum documented flashes on October 30 and November 1, with the first near Gassendi Crater and the second west of Oceanus Procellarum.
- The events occurred as the Taurid meteor shower peaked, and observers say the signatures are consistent with fast-moving space rocks striking the Moon.
- Fujii used multiple telescopes from sites in Fuji and Hiratsuka and says his setup has revealed nearly 60 lunar impact flashes over about 15 years.
- Fujii estimated the first flash involved a meteoroid traveling around 60,000 mph, lasting roughly a tenth of a second and potentially producing a crater about three meters wide from an object around 200 grams.
- Sensational claims about unknown visitors circulated in some outlets, but the reporting centers on a likely meteoroid cause, with separate coverage noting a study that projects a possible Taurid risk increase in the 2030s.