Lunar impact flash observed on the night side of the Moon

A bright lunar impact flash was recorded at 11:33 UTC (20:33 JST) on October 30, on the night side of the first-quarter Moon, east of Gassendi crater at latitude –16°, longitude 324°. The event was captured by Daichi Fujii, astronomy curator at the Hiratsuka City Museum in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

The flash was recorded at 270 frames per second, later replayed at 0.03x speed for analysis.

Fujii reported that the flash site lies east of Gassendi crater (latitude –16°, longitude 324°). Based on photometric estimates, the transient reached magnitude 8 and lasted approximately 0.1 seconds.

Assuming the meteoroid belonged to the Taurid meteor complex, which was near its annual peak, Fujii calculated an impact velocity of 27 km/s (16.8 mps), an entry angle of 35°, and a mass of about 0.2 kg (0.44 lb). The estimated crater diameter is around 3 m (10 feet).

Lunar impact flashes occur when meteoroids strike the airless lunar surface at hypervelocity, converting kinetic energy into a brief burst of visible light. Such observations contribute to long-term monitoring of meteoroid flux and impact-energy statistics.

Fujii has previously documented multiple confirmed lunar flashes, including a rare double impact event on December 8, 2024, which was later verified by other observers.

Another notable meteorite impact flash on the Moon’s surface was captured by Fujii on February 23, 2023. He described it as his most significant observation of lunar impacts, noting the flash as an exceptionally bright event that lasted for more than one second.

At the time of writing, no independent observatory or agency (NASA, ESA, JAXA) has confirmed this specific October 30 event, though its parameters are consistent with known lunar impact phenomena.