Before and after views of the March 17, 2013 impact taken by the LRO camera. Fine streams of debris reach to the edges of the frame. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Posted on 12/18/2013 7:08:30 AM PST by BenLurkin
Based on the flash brightness and duration of the St. Pat’s Day smack, the space boulder measured between one to 1.5 feet long (0.3-0.4 meters) and struck the moon traveling at 56,000 mph with a force of 5 tons of TNT. Scientists predicted then that the impact could produce a crater up to 65 feet (20 meters) in diameter.
Before and after views of the March 17, 2013 impact taken by the LRO camera. Fine streams of debris reach to the edges of the frame. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
Too bad china didn’t land their rover near this~!
SMACKO
“traveling at 56,000 mph with a force of 5 tons of TNT.”
On Earth at least we an atmosphere to help slow these things down. And still they can obviously cause a lot of damage and destruction.
And amateur astronomers of America (plus Russian professionals) claims of seeing flashes on the Moon in the 1950s and 60s were dismissed,everyone knew the Moon was unchanging and all the craters were millions of years old!!!It was settled science.
Well, there goes the Moon’s insurance rates.
A little bit of bondo and it will buff right out...
.4 meters long...could have **been** the first Chinese rover making that crater!
My first thoughts as well.
At 56,000 mph, it would traverse the entire 50 mile thickness of our atmosphere in about 3.5 seconds. Of course, that's not accounting for braking.
I suppose the rate of heating it would undergo in the last two seconds or so might cause it to break up, but even a six inch chunk hitting something at 10,000 mph would leave quite an impression.
If it was rock, it would explode long before reaching the ground, similar to what happened in Russia.
Ping.
“...struck the moon traveling at 56,000 mph with a force of 5 tons of TNT.”
It might have been Chuck Norris....
Thanks Squawk 8888, extra to APoD.
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This most recent defacement of the Most Serene Face of The Goddess Luna can be attributed to Global Warming. The Goddess Gaia was so preoccupied attempting to cope with her Hot Flashes which were obviously caused by emissions of the evil gas CO2 perpetrated by the spawn of White, Christian, Heteronormative, Racist, Ancient Aliens who seeded the Earth with their GMO DNA Gazillions of Years Ago, and now persist in burning Fossil Fuels, that she was unable to fend off the attack on her most Serene Sister with either magnetism or gravity.
This is Settled Science and may not be disputed without incurring severe penalties and ostracism from the Scientific Community.
Either THAT, or it’s bush’s fault.
In Any Case, we are Doooooooooommmed.
Not quite. The moon hasn't filed a claim yet.
So, why is the impact pattern - expected to be so “regular” though obviously random - cleverly arranged so all of the lunar “maria” (melted low areas filled with liquid rock after impacts) ALL on the “earth-side of the moon ... andnone on the far side?
Comet Shoemaker–Levy collided with Jupiter in 1994. The documentary that I watched said that the impact ‘proved’ that impact with the Earth was possible. Going with that comment, I assumed that as late as 1994, there was still some scientists who doubted that.
Science is never settled. :-)
The search for knowledge never ends.
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