During the last lunar eclipse, astronomers have observed a very interesting event, namely a meteor striking the surface of our satellite at unimaginable speed.
This unusual situation occurred at the beginning of this year, literally a moment after the start of the eclipse, the meteorite hit the surface of the Moon, causing a short but visible flash, noticed by amateur astronomers from the northern hemisphere of our planet. The phenomenon has also been noted by scientists, thanks to which - after months of analysis of recordings from the impact recorded by the fleet of 8 telescopes in southern Spain, we learned how much the Moon was hit and from whom exactly.
According to a study recently published in the Monthly Notice of the Royal Astronomical Society, the impact occurred on January 21, the meteorite was between 30 and 60 centimeters in diameter and hit the surface of the Moon at over 61,000 km / h. It was enough for a crater measuring about 15 meters to appear on the surface of the Earth's satellite, which was determined on the basis of in-depth flash analysis, which lasted only 0.28 seconds and was recorded by Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System, or MIDAS telescopes.
Source: GeekWeek.pl/LiveScience
Photo: J. M. Madiedo (MIDAS)