Scientists have been left baffled after spotting two mysterious flashes appearing on the Moon's surface.
The sightings have sparked debate over unusual activity on Earth’s lunar neighbour.
The bright flashes were first observed by astronomer Daichi Fujii, Japan's Hiratsuka City Museum curator.
On October 30, Mr Fujii recorded the first strange light, showing a large, round spot briefly lighting up the Moon’s surface before fading.
The bright flashes were first observed by astronomer Daichi Fujii
|DAICHI FUJII/HIRATSUKA CITY MUSEUM
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Two days later, Mr Fujii observed a second bright flash near the Moon’s horizon from his view on Earth.
The leading theory is that the bright lights were caused by space rocks hitting the Moon, linked to the passing Taurid meteor shower.
This meteor shower appears every year in late October and early November.
It occurs as Earth passes through dust and rock left by Comet Encke.
The Taurid meteor shower appears every year in late October and early November
| GETTYMr Fujii explained that because the Moon has no atmosphere, meteors aren’t visible until they strike its surface, creating a brief fiery flash and crater.
The Japanese museum curator wrote on social media that the annual meteor shower was at its peak when he made the sightings.
The astronomer observed the sky using multiple telescopes in Fuji and Hiratsuka.
Using this advanced setup, he was able to immediately detect movement and flashes on the Moon's surface.
Mr Fujii explained that because the Moon has no atmosphere, meteors aren’t visible until they strike its surface
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Mr Fujii said the equipment has allowed him to observe almost 60 impacts on the lunar in 15 years.
The astronomer told Space.com: "I started observing lunar impact flashes around 2011 and have been continuously observing since 2020.
"With my 20cm telescope, I typically detect about one impact flash every few dozen hours of observation.
"Because the thin crescent moon is visible only briefly and often low in the sky where thin clouds are common, I only observe a few dozen flashes per year."
Mr Fujii said the first flash occurred east of the Gassendi Crater and smashed into the lunar surface at speeds of around 60,000mph.
Despite the brightness of the light created upon impact, the meteoroid is estimated to have weight just 200 grams.
The flash lasted lasted just one tenth of a second and created a crater spanning three metres wide.
Mr Fujii said: "The pixels were saturated, so it's possible the flash was even brighter than the recorded data suggests."
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