An interesting bit of news:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/0512..._meteoroid.html

Bob Shaw

There is allready topic about this here:
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=1902

Toma:

Oh, joy!

Bob Shaw

MOON DAILY

- Lunar Rocks Suggest Meteorite Shower

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Lunar_Ro...ite_Shower.html

Corvallis OR (SPX) Apr 13, 2006 - New age measurements of lunar rocks returned
by the Apollo space missions have revealed that a surprising number of the rocks
show signs of melting about 3.9 billion years ago, suggesting that the moon -
and its nearby neighbor Earth - were bombarded by a series of large meteorites
at that time.

To quote:

What is particularly intriguing, Duncan says, is that this apparent spike in meteorite activity took place about 3.8 to 4 billion years ago - an era that roughly coincides with when scientists believe life first began on Earth, as evidenced by the fossil record of primitive one-cell bacteria.

It is possible that life was introduced to Earth from one of these meteorites, Duncan said. Or it could have developed spontaneously once the bombardment subsided, or developed beneath the ocean near life-nurturing hydrothermal vents. The lack of evidence on Earth makes the analysis of moon rocks much more compelling. The meteorite activity that bombarded the moon likely struck our planet as well.

Oh dear, that is some really solid not-news.

The Late Heavy Bombardment 3.8-3.9 BYA ago, the fact that the end of it nearly coincides with the oldest preserved rocks on Earth and that life on Earth shows pretty quickly after that has been known and discussed for a couple of decades now.

tty

The Lyrid Meteor Shower is approaching its peak in just two days. What may be
of interest to UMSF members is that astronomer predict that debris from the shower
may impact Earth's moon and be visible to us, as they were just a few years ago.

Space Weather has the details here, including maps and diagrams:

Space Weather News for April 20, 2006

http://spaceweather.com

Earth is about to pass through the dusty tail of Comet Thatcher, and this will
cause the annual Lyrid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on
April 22nd, producing about 10 meteors per hour--modest, but pretty. The best
time to look is during the hours before sunrise on Saturday morning. Go to a
dark site away from city lights, if possible.

The Moon will also encounter the comet's tail on April 22nd, which raises an
interesting possibility: Amateur astronomers may be able to spot flashes of
light on the Moon when comet debris hits the lunar surface and explodes. All
that's required is a backyard telescope and lots of patience.

Visit Spaceweather.com for details, sky maps and observing tips.

Note: This is a Northern Hemisphere shower. South of the equator, observers
will see very few Lyrids. Southerners are, however, in an excellent position to
observe Lyrid impacts on the Moon. The Moon rises high in southern skies on
April 22nd, in plain view of backyard telescopes.

If anyone catches a meteorite striking the moon on video, please share it here...that would be really cool. My scope is in serious need of repairs I'm unskilled to perform. D'oh.

Did anyone view/record any lunar impacts from the Lyrid Meteor Shower?

I have not heard/read any reports yet, negative or positive.

Thank you.

Checking Apollo seismic data for past meteorite hits on Luna

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/28....htm?list161084

A question from this quote in the article:

Also, in 1972, a 1,100 kg (2,400 lb) asteroid hit the Moon just north of Mare Nubium, the Sea of Clouds. It was a major impact recorded at all four seismic stations. "When we look at the seismic waveform of that asteroid," says Cooke, "we see that it has the same characteristics as the man-made impacts—a good sign that we know what we’re doing."

Has anyone ever tried to find the crater from this impact?

Would it have made a big enough crater to be seen from Earth?

Send Bill Cooke a e-mail ...

The Sky Is Falling

NASA Science News - Huntsville AL (SPX) Jun 05, 2006 Up on the Moon, the sky is falling. "Every day, more than a metric ton of meteoroids hits the Moon," says Bill Cooke of the Marshall Space Flight Center's Meteoroid Environment Office. They literally fall out of the sky, in all shapes and sizes, from specks of comet dust to full-blown asteroids, traveling up to a hundred thousand mph.

http://www.moondaily.com/reports/The_Sky_Is_Falling.html

1,000,000 MPH may well be possible for interstellar material - or intergalactic - but it's a tad fast for local stuff, however you bend the numbers!

Bob Shaw

Sure, 1,000,000 mph is a bit fast, but the article actually says 100,000 mph. After conversion for kilometers and seconds, this comes out to about 17 km/sec – just what http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/ gives as a typical Earth impact velocity for asteroids.

Oops!

I read that as a bit faster than it was!

D'oh!

Bob Shaw

Pedantic moment - 100,000mph is around 160,000kph which is around 44km/sec. I think you got the conversion inverted. I think that's still broadly in agreement with the LPL averages though and ties in with the general distribution of earth meteor speeds (the overwhelming majority fall within the ~11-70km/sec range).

I warned Bob not to take that speed reading course.

Phil

Here is an improved version of Hiten's descent to the moon, with a white dot marking the projected spot of impact.

Excellent!
Phil

Here is the "cleaned" version of the only other shot I have.

I'm going nuts trying to figure out where that image is. An early guess (center of far side) based on a previous version Ted had on his website doesn't work now I can see it better.

Phil

The prominent crater left center looks like Theophilus in relation to other features, allowing for the reduced gray levels.

Don

Don, I was all set to tell you you were mistaken when I discovered you were absolutely right! The big mosaic Ted posted extends from Fra Mauro to Piccolomini, with Theophilus on its northern (upper right) side. And this single image. as you say, is Theophilus, with Fracastorius at lower right. Thanks!

Phil

These images cover a quite wide area. The closest in the approach sequence was taken from 3,000 km away, after which the ONS field of view had crossed the terminator.

NASA Science News for June 13, 2006

Last month, astronomers watched a meteoroid blast a hole in the lunar Sea of Clouds. Their video of the event is a must-see.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/13....htm?list161084

Lunar Prospector End of Mission and Overview Press Kit

http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/resources/LPBckgrn.pdf