A mysterious flash was observed on the Moon

The Moon has many craters and acts as a real shield for the Earth. But it is quite rare to see an impact in real time on our natural satellite. However, after two impacts observed by an amateur astronomer in November, a new flash was observed on December 12 at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP) in Ireland.

This was revealed in a video on the observatory's official website. Captured by Andrew Marshall-Lee, with the help of the Armagh Robotic Telescope (ART), a white flash can be seen on the night side of the Moon. But the sequence lasts only a fraction of a second and reveals no further details.

Astronomers are currently trying to determine the origin of the object that caused this flash, although some theories have already been put forward. Indeed, the Geminids reached their peak on December 13. Coming from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon, the meteors are larger. In other words, it would appear that the impact was caused by one of its meteors, which ended its journey on our natural satellite at approximately 35 km/s.

However, although the light emitted by this collision appears significant, do not expect a celestial object several meters in diameter. In space, every object travels at very high speed, and even a small rock measuring just a few centimeters can generate a lot of energy during a collision. And in this case, astronomers estimate that it was no larger than a golf ball. But further studies need to be conducted to determine its origin, and new discoveries could soon be revealed.