A 880-pound meteorite slammed into the moon last September and created a bright flash that was visible on Earth. Footage of the explosion was just released Monday.
The meteorite hit the moon on Sept. 11 around 8:07 p.m. GMT and anyone on Earth with a clear view of the moon would have been able to witness the bright flash, if they were looking up at the right time, reports Space.com.
Scientists say that the explosion was the brightest ever recorded. "At that moment I realized I had seen a very rare and extraordinary event," said Jose Madiedo. He is a professor at the University of Huelva, whose telescopes recorded the explosion. The university is involved in the Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System (MIDAS).
The 880-pound meteorite was traveling at the speed of about 37,900 mph and its impact crate is about 131 feet wide. It crashed in the Mare Nubium basin.
According to BBC News, the meteorite's impact was the equivalent of 15 tons of TNT.
Unlike Earth, the moon lacks an atmosphere and has no protections against asteroids, which has resulted in the pock-marked surface.
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