Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii filmed two meteoroids striking the Moon on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, posting the split-second flashes to his X account. The Oct. 30 impact — east of Gassendi — was likely a Taurid fragment striking at ~27 km/s, excavating an estimated ~3 m (10 ft) crater; the Nov. 1 flash occurred west of Oceanus Procellarum. Fujii, observing regularly since 2011 with a 20-cm telescope, has now recorded 60 lunar flashes. Because the Moon lacks a protective atmosphere, even small rocks hit at tens of km/s and can produce noticeable craters.
Astronomer Captures Two Meteors Striking the Moon — Dramatic Videos Show Bright, Split-Second Flashes
Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii filmed two meteoroids striking the Moon on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, posting the split-second flashes to his X account. The Oct. 30 impact — east of Gassendi — was likely a Taurid fragment striking at ~27 km/s, excavating an estimated ~3 m (10 ft) crater; the Nov. 1 flash occurred west of Oceanus Procellarum. Fujii, observing regularly since 2011 with a 20-cm telescope, has now recorded 60 lunar flashes. Because the Moon lacks a protective atmosphere, even small rocks hit at tens of km/s and can produce noticeable craters.
10:47, 05.11.2025Science
Two bright meteors filmed slamming into the Moon
Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii, curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum, recorded two brief but intense flashes when meteoroids struck the lunar surface on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1. The impacts, visible from Earth only for a fraction of a second, were captured with cameras pointed at the Moon's nightside and posted to Fujii's X account.
When and where
The first event occurred on Oct. 30 at 20:30 Japan Standard Time (JST) — 06:30 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and 11:30 UTC. The second flash was recorded on Nov. 1 at 20:49 JST (06:49 EDT, 11:49 UTC).
Fujii reports the Oct. 30 flash appeared east of the Gassendi crater; the Nov. 1 event was west of Oceanus Procellarum, one of the Moon's largest maria.
What the data suggest
Based on his calculations, Fujii judged the Oct. 30 impactor likely belonged to the Taurid meteor stream. He estimated an impact velocity of about 27 km/s (≈60,000 mph) at an angle near 35° and a mass of roughly 0.2 kg (0.4 lb). That strike would excavate a crater roughly 3 meters (≈10 feet) across and produced a flash lasting about 0.1 seconds. Fujii cautioned, "The pixels were saturated, so it's possible the flash was even brighter than the recorded data suggests."
Context and significance
The timings coincide with increased activity from the Taurid complex: the Southern Taurids typically peak in early November and the Northern Taurids follow a few days later. While the association with the Taurids is plausible given the timing, these impacts could also be sporadic meteoroids unrelated to the shower.
Because the Moon lacks a substantial atmosphere, small meteoroids are not slowed or burned up and therefore strike the surface at very high speeds — roughly 20–72 km/s (45,000–160,000 mph). Even small rocks can produce noticeable craters: NASA notes that a roughly 5-kg (11-lb) rock can form a crater more than 9 meters (30 feet) wide and eject tens of metric tons of lunar regolith. Fujii's observed flashes are consistent with impacts that excavate craters measuring a few meters across.
About the observer
Fujii has been monitoring lunar impact flashes since 2011 and observing continuously since 2020. Using a 20-cm telescope and sensitive video cameras, he typically detects about one flash every few dozen hours of observation. Because the thin crescent Moon is visible for only short intervals and often low on the horizon, he records only a few dozen events per year; his tally now stands at 60 confirmed flashes.
Why it matters: Monitoring lunar impacts helps scientists refine impact rates, understand crater formation, and assess risks for future lunar infrastructure. Continued observations during shower seasons such as the Taurids improve our knowledge of how meteoroid streams interact with both Earth and the Moon.