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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Lunar Impact Visualised

While researching any current images of lunar landing sites, I came across this quite interesting piece of the only recorded instance of an impact on the Lunar surface.

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In the early morning hours of Nov. 15, 1953, an amateur astronomer in Oklahoma photographed what he believed to be a massive, white-hot fireball of vaporized rock rising from the center of the Moon's face. If his theory was right, Dr. Leon Stuart would be the first and only human in history to witness and document the impact of an asteroid-sized body impacting the Moon's scarred exterior.


Using imagery taken from lunar orbit by the Clementine spacecraft in 1994, Buratti and Johnson discovered a crater that was significantly brighter than others in the vicinity. They had located "Stuart's Event"

After almost a half-century--numerous space probes and six manned lunar landings later--what had become known in astronomy circles as "Stuart's Event" was still an unproven, controversial theory.

More here: www.astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=397

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I have heard of others observing flashes during observations, but this is the only one photographically recorded.

[Centaur]

Stuart's Event remains controversial and a mystery. Here is a link to a later article in which a scientist who thought Stuart's theory had been proven, later expressed disappointment in light of new findings.

www.planetary.org/html/news/articlearchive/headlines/2003/stuartsevent2.html

[Centaur]

There was another controversy regarding a sighting in 1178. Here is a link that offers an explanation.

www.planetary.org/html/news/articlearchive/headlines/2001/1178noimpact.html

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

This excerpt from the Planetary Society:

The following account was recorded by the English monk, Gervase of Canterbury:

[On the evening of June 18, 1178] after sunset when the moon had first become visible a marvelous phenomenon was witnessed by some five or more men...Now there was a bright new moon...its horns were tilted toward the east; and suddenly the upper horn split in two. From the midpoint of the division a flaming torch sprang up, spewing out, over a considerable distance, fire, hot coals, and sparks. Meanwhile the body of the moon which was below writhed, as it were, in anxiety...the moon throbbed like a wounded snake. Afterwards it resumed its proper state. This phenomenon was repeated a dozen times or more, the flame assuming various twisting shapes at random...Then after these transformations the moon from horn to horn...took on a blackish appearance. The present writer was given this report by men who saw it with their own eyes, and are prepared to stake their honour on an oath that they have made no addition or falsification in the above narrative.

From the account, I don't think that it was a Lunar event, but cool nevertheless!

There have been many accounts of strange lights and flashes on the moon for quite awhile, some attributed to "alien" origin, hollow moon theory or covert lunar bases. Granted that these explanations are quite far fetched. Could be that surface albedo was such that it acted like a mirror and caused a ray of light to reflect back....like a puddle of water or ice would here on Earth.

I'll share a personal account with you all tonight on what I witnessed in my eyepiece two years ago...it was certainly strange!!!

Curt....thanks for the links and great to have a person of your lunar knowledge here on the Chicago Astronomer.