A meteorite hit the moon during Monday’s total lunar eclipse
The impact happened at 4:41:38 am GMT exactly, or 11:41:38 pm ET 21 January, 2019
The confirmation of the impact came this morning from the Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System (MIDAS), a project developed by the University of Huelva and the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalucia. MIDAS uses three observatories to capture transient events happening on the surface of the Moon.
Monitoring these impacts is very important. By learning about what is hitting the lunar surface we can better understand the space environment around the Earth-Moon system. Plus it will be damn useful if we are planning to go back there to stay.
The meteor strike takes place in the region darkened by Earth’s shadow, as you can see in image. Several live stream recordings from around the world caught the event which was confirmed by professional astronomers.
The so-called “super wolf blood moon” was eagerly watched by millions of people around the world, mostly via live streaming video. During the eclipse, some people noticed a tiny flash, a brief yellow-white speck, popping up on the lunar surface during the online broadcasts.
Watch a Meteor Smack the Blood Moon in This Lunar Eclipse Video!