On July 17 and July 18 , the Moon was struck by two small rocks with enough vigour to produce brainy flashes of igniter . The two effect took place almost exactly 24 hours aside and are consider to have the same cause : they are the leftover fragments of a comet .
Based on the luminousness of the impact , the two meteoroids ( the proficient term for meteoroid when they are still in blank space ) were roughly the sizing of a walnut . They were likely part of the moth-eaten bottom of comet 169P / NEAT , which the Earth - Moon system get over sometime around July . On Earth , this cometic after part create the Alpha Capricornids shooting star shower . Finding the origin of these events is normally pretty unmanageable because astronomers witness just the flash .
Flashes of Light Within from the surface of the Moon have been report for 1,000 years , but in the last few decade , there have been more scientific reflexion of these “ transitory lunar phenomenon ” . The inquiry task know as MIDAS ( Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System ) spotted the two twinkling . NASA also has a similar project , theLunar Impact Monitoring Program , which does n’t make a great acronym .
MIDAS was started in 1997 , and it has three observatories circularize across Spain . The whole undertaking has multiple telescope , each with highly sensitive detectors that can spot changes in light on the Moon once it is hit .
“ By studying meteoroids on the Moon we can limit how many stone bear upon it and how often , and from this we can infer the chance of impingement on Earth , " Jose Maria Madiedo from MIDAS said in astatement .
" At MIDAS we observe impacts on the ‘ sour side ’ of the Moon , meaning impact flashes bear out against the moody lunar earth . ”
The meteoroids hit the dark side of the Moon , currently not illumine by sunlight . This is not to be confuse with the far side of the Moon , the large arena that always face aside from our satellite . The MIDAS observatories monitor the near side of the Moon but centre on the region that are in the shadow of the Earth where impingement are visible .
