A rare moment was viewed from Japan, by an astronomer from the Hiratsuka City Museum who managed to capture the moment when a meteorite hit the surface of the Moon, causing a glow that could be seen from Earth and leaving a crater.
The discovery was made by Daichi Fujii, who constantly monitors the Earth's natural satellite with cameras and telescopes from his home, as he explains in the tweet he shared at the end of February and which is now viral.
As detailed by the astronomer, the record corresponds to February 23, 2023 at 8:14 p.m. in Japan.
"It was a huge flash that continued to shine for more than a second," he said.
私の観測史上最大の月面衝突閃光を捉えることができました!2023年2月23日20時14分30.8秒に出現した月面衝突閃光を、平塚の自宅から撮影した様子です(実際の速度で再生)。なんと1秒以上も光り続ける巨大閃光でした。月は大気がないため流星や火球は見られず、クレーターができる瞬間に光ります。 pic.twitter.com/Bi2JhQa9Q0
— 藤井大地 (@dfuji1) February 24, 2023