Armagh: Observatory captures rare lunar impact flash on film in Ireland
Image source, Getty
An astronomer has secured what is believed to be the first video recording of a lunar impact flash from Ireland, according to Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP).
The lunar impact flash—an instant burst of light produced when a small object strikes the Moon’s surface—was observed by Andrew Marshall-Lee, a final-year PhD student.
AOP notes that lunar impact flashes are uncommon events, seen only on rare occasions, and this sighting is thought to be only the second of its kind in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Marshall-Lee captured the moment using the Armagh Robotic Telescope (ART) on a Friday session, a moment he described as something he will remember for life.
"Typically, researchers record hours of footage, process it with in-house software, and then review for any anomalies," he said. "I was fortunate to be watching the screen at the exact moment it happened and saw it unfold with my own eyes. That luck is hard to quantify. It felt incredibly special, and it’s a memory I’ll carry forever."
The observatory explained that lunar impact flashes normally last only a fraction of a second and are challenging to detect.
They are more often spotted during major meteor showers when the Moon traverses streams of debris shed by comets and asteroids.
The objects causing these flashes are typically tiny—often smaller than a golf ball—and too faint to be seen with a telescope while in space. When they strike the Moon at extremely high speeds, their kinetic energy rapidly converts to heat and light, briefly vaporizing material at the impact site and creating the visible flash seen from Earth.
AOP estimates the object in this event was traveling at roughly 35 km/s.
Mr. Marshall-Lee observed the impact during the Geminid meteor shower’s peak, which makes it the most plausible source of the triggering debris.
AOP plans to continue studying the event’s origin, and a video of the flash is available on the observatory’s website.
Would you like to discuss what this discovery implies about lunar geology or the frequency of such flashes, and whether similar events might be detected with newer telescope networks?
