Japanese curator captures two asteroids colliding with the Moon in just 48 hours

Daichi Fujii, curator at the Hiratsuka City Museum in Japan, recorded two asteroid impacts on the lunar surface within 48 hours. The events occurred on October 30 and November 1, 2025, with flashes visible from Earth captured by automated telescopes. The collisions highlight the Moon’s constant exposure to space rocks and help monitor risks for future space missions.

The objects reached the natural satellite without atmospheric deceleration, reaching speeds of up to 96 thousand km/h. Even fragments measuring just a few meters generate explosions equivalent to tons of dynamite.

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• First flash: Detected east of Gassendi crater.
• Second flash: Recorded west of Oceanus Procellarum.

Fujii has maintained continuous surveillance since 2011 and has documented around 60 impacts.

Registration details

Telescopes in Hiratsuka and Fuji operate with software that automatically identifies explosions. The first impact occurred at 8:33 pm local time on October 30. Two days later, at 8:49 pm on November 1, the second flash appeared in another region.

Several equipment in Japan confirmed the events from different angles. Experts have ruled out optical illusions or cosmic rays.

Expert commits

Juan Luis Cano, from the European Space Agency, classified the flashes as authentic. He noted thatthe flashes were above average in size. This indicates higher energy than usual in lunar collisions.

European telescopes did not detect the events due to the excessive brightness of the Moon in the region. NASA remained silent due to a government shutdown, but planetary defense programs remain active.

Probable origin of objects

Astronomers associate asteroids with the Taurid meteor shower. This current derives from Comet Encke and peaks in November.

The Taurids produce larger and faster fragments than usual.

Some celestial bodies escape the Earth’s atmosphere and directly hit the Moon.

Fujii Monitoring

The curator uses equipment with a 20-centimeter opening for regular observations. It records an impact every tens of hours of monitoring.

Two consecutive events represent rarity in your data series.

Fujii shares records to encourage public interest in astronomy.

Relevance to lunar exploration

Impacts provide data on the frequency of collisions with smaller objects. These calculations refine estimates of larger near-Earth asteroids.

Agencies and companies plan permanent bases on the satellite. Flash energy information guides design of safe structures.

Characteristics of impacts

Rocks travel at 30 times the speed of military fighters. Explosions create craters and firestorms visible from hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.

Without atmospheric protection, collisions release intense energy in fractions of a second.