September 3, 2006

• LUNAR FLASH: Europe's SMART-1 spacecraft crashed into the Moon this morning at 0542 UT. The resulting flash was too faint for most backyard telescopes, but a team of astronomers using the big 3.6m CFH telescope in Hawaii did photograph the explosion:

  
  

  

  
  

  The flash in this animation is an infrared flash. It shows heat generated by the spacecraft's 4500 mph impact into the lunar surface near the edge of Lacus Excellentiae (34.4 S, 46.2 W).

  
  

  Lacus Excellentiae was in darkness when SMART-1 hit--the better to see the flash. Tomorrow, however, the sun will come up, illuminating the impact site. Amateur and professional astronomers will scour the area for additional signs of the crash.

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