Meteorite that fell on the Moon during the total eclipse left a large crater

Cape Canaveral, Florida – A meteorite that fell on the moon during the January lunar total eclipse left a large crater.

Spanish scientists reported on Tuesday that rock space crashed on the Moon at 38,000 mph (61,000 km / h) and left a crater almost 50 feet (15 meters) across. It is the first time that the fall of a meteorite on the Moon is observed during a lunar eclipse.

Scientists – who operate a system that detects meteorites falling on the moon using eight telescopes in Spain – believe the object was the fragment of a comet up to 60 centimeters wide and 45 pounds. The energy of the shock was equivalent to a ton and a half of dynamite.

Astrophysicist José María Madiedo of the University of Huelva said he was "very enthusiastic" for having captured the short fall, after trying to capture this event several times during the eclipses.

The results appear in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.