Meteorite Impact with Moon is Record-Breaking: Lunar Explosion Creates Massive Crater

Astronomers at the University of Huelva in Spain witnessed what is believed to be a record-breaking impact on the surface of the moon. On September 11^th, 2013 the explosion was spotted through the use of the Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System (Midas) in southern Spain.

The previous largest lunar explosion occurred six months earlier in March of 2013, when a 40-kilogram boulder rocked the moon's surface traveling at 90,000 kilometers per hour. The meteorite that collided with the lunar surface in September weighed ten times more than the previous one (400 kilograms) and was traveling at about 61,000 kilometers per hour. The result was a 40-meter-wide crater.

The meteorite produced a bright eight-second flash that the astronomers said could be seen from Earth. The 400kg rock blasted into an ancient lava-filled basin called the "Mare Nubium" and the energy of the impact was equivalent to 15 tons of TNT.

"This is the largest, brightest impact we have ever observed on the Moon," said Professor Jose Madiedo, of the University of Huelva in Spain in this BBC News article. "Usually lunar impacts have a very short duration - just a fraction of a second. It was almost as bright as the Pole Star, which makes it the brightest impact event that we have recorded from Earth."

The moon is susceptible to meteorite activity because it lacks an atmosphere to protect it from such forces. This is why large craters are visible in photographs of moon. This particular meteorite, the astronomers noted, would have burned up in the Earth's atmosphere long before reaching the ground.

The Midas telescopes have the capability to spot impacts on the moon thanks to the tiny flashes of light that are produced following the collisions. The lunar surface experiences impact from rocks approximately every three hours, but many of them are insignificant. Thankfully, the Earth's atmosphere provides a defense from most meteorites, and scientists have the technology to determine which ones have the ability to penetrate.

To read more about the lunar collision, visit this BBC News article as well as this Guardian News article.