Asteroid crossing moon

[MrB]

Hi, there's probably a correct term for this, but not knowing it, thats the best title I could come up with!!

Last night I took my small 6" f5 out for a test after attempting to collimate it for the first time.(A story in itself :whistle: - but WOW! what a difference!!)

Anyway, just as I swung the scope 'round onto the moon, I saw a silhouette of an object slowly passing across it. It was almost square but irregular enough to make me think of a large chunk of rock, but I s'pose it could have been a satellite or some space junk.
It didn't appear to be tumbling or anything.
I only saw it for maybe 3 seconds before it disappeared, spewing I didn't swing the scope around a little earlier.
I've uploaded a pic(my first Afocal - taken last night) of roughly where I first saw it, its direction and the path it took.

My question is - Does this sort of thing happen often?
I imagine with the amount of stuff floating around up there, man-made or otherwise, that it could be but I've never heard of it happening.

Cheers.

[Karlsson]

The closest known asteroid is currently 2007 TU24, see:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=290720#post290720

It comes closest on 29 Jan at 1.44 times the distance between the Moon and Earth - anything passing between the Moon and Earth is therefore unlikely to be an asteroid - thank heavens... :scared:

Probably a man-made object....

[Blue Skies]

Most likely a satellite. I have seen several cross the face of the moon while using a video camera and none of them have been exactly square.

Somewhere, I have heard, there is a programme that helps you predict things like thisfor your locatoin - if you follow the Spaceweather page (www.spaceweather.com) there are sometimes images of the space station passing in front of the sun (which is the same angular size as the moon from our perspective). I'd love to know where you can find this info...(hint hint - someone out there has to know!)

[sheeny]

It does happen (obviously!:P) but I don;t know how often.

Try Calsky if you want to predict crossings:
http://www.calsky.com/ (http://www.calsky.com/cs.cgi?obs=30231987249954)

I have subscribed to their email alert program but I haven't received one yet...:shrug:

Al.

[jjjnettie]

If you're interested in satellite spotting, sign up with www.heavens-above.com
It's free.

[AJames]

While Reading the Title;

"Asteroid Crossing Moon'

...my sick mind instantly thought of the retort...

"Moon Hires a Hitman" :lol:

Sorry, Sorry. Please forgive me! :help:

[Blue Skies]

Aha! That's what I was looking for. Thanks! :thumbsup:

[MrB]

Transit! thats the word I was looking for :)
Thanks everyone.
Tried Calsky for a transit around that time and got nothing.

[OMEGA DAWN]

Probably just another spectator, "witnessing this dance in motion", as the electrons crackle, lightening flares, solar winds soars, as Father time snores. Stars twinkle in a "wink of a eye" as you and I ponder about our distant shores.

[DaveGee]

Hopefully what you saw was a satellite or space junk.

Does it happen often?
Yes. I have seen lots of stuff zipping through my FOV while waiting for an occultation to happen. In fact, observations of transits of the ISS across the Sun and Moon are fairly common. See Ed Moran's web page...
http://pictures.ed-morana.com/ISSTransits/
If it was an asteroid, be afraid, be very afraid!:scared:

[MrB]

Cheers Dave, yeah pretty sure it wasn't an asteroid now ;)
Have seen another transit since, much faster smaller object.
Also seen a photo of a ISS(+docking shuttle) transit of the sun on Calsky (http://www.calsky.com/cs.cgi/Satellites/16?)(click), looks awesome!
Starting to wonder if the first transit I saw was that US satelite thats coming down.... matches the shape description and Calsky didn't come up with any transit that night...

[MrB]

Hi Karlsson,
Found an interesting article (Flying Rocks Everywhere!) in an old 'Astronomy 2003' yearbook about Near Earth Asteroids.
There's a paragraph:
Near Earth Asteroids. If you have any doubt why mankind needs to closely monitor these objects, the case of 1994 XM1 is worth quoting. On December 9, 1994 this object came within 70,000 kilometers of the Earth, or only one fifth of the distance to the Moon!

A pretty interesting article, but I still think, as you said, what I saw was a man-made satellite.

[caleb]

i know there are so many craters on the moon. But has anyone ever seen a meteorite collide with the moon through there telescope.

[Blue Skies]

Yes - and it's been video-ed (is that a word?). During the Leonid storms a few years back video was recorded of Leonids striking the moon. Don't get too excited - you can't see much, all it is a tiny bright light on the dark side of the moon. I remember seeing some stills from the time, but not the actual video. Probably need to do a little googling to find it.

I suppose in the sense that you mean it though - no, not that I have heard of. Perhaps someone else knows.

[MrB]

Good question Caleb, and a nice answer.
Have often wondered that myself.
Would be pretty cool to witness it.

[Outbackmanyep]

Yes, meteoroids have been filmed hitting the moon, during the 2001 Leonid meteor shower......All that was seen was bright flash! I think NASA has a observational program to watch the moon during meteor showers to try and capture these elusive things we don't get to see everyday!
I found a link from an observation in 2006.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/13jun_lunarsporadic.htm

Cheers!

[erick]

Thanks, that's an interesting link/video. :)

[goober]

Something was reported centuries ago striking the moon. I remember reading it in a book, but not the specifics - Europe, abbey records, something like that. Something about the horns of the moon observed to have split.... I think they matched the report to a fresh impact crater.

As others mentioned, strikes were recorded during the Leonids. The Leonids a few years back... now that was a fun observing session. Remember watching it from Tooradin.