In a significant astronomical first, a researcher based in Northern Ireland has successfully captured video footage of a rare lunar impact flash, believed to be the first such recording ever made from the island of Ireland.
A Moment of Rare Cosmic Luck
The event was recorded on Friday, 13 December 2025, by Andrew Marshall-Lee, a final-year PhD student at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium (AOP). He utilised the facility's Armagh Robotic Telescope (ART) to secure the footage, marking only the second time such an event has been recorded in the UK.
Marshall-Lee described the extraordinary moment of discovery, stating he was fortunate to be looking at the monitor at the precise instant it occurred. "I just so happened to be looking at the screen at the right time and I saw it happen with my own eyes," he said. "That's the luck of it... It was very special to me and it will be a moment that sticks with me for a lifetime."
The Science Behind the Flash
Lunar impact flashes are exceptionally rare sightings caused by small meteoroids, often no larger than a golf ball, striking the Moon's surface at tremendous speeds. "We suspect at around 35 kilometres a second," Marshall-Lee explained. The high-velocity impact releases a vast amount of energy, vaporising the object and creating a brief but detectable flash of light.
These events are most likely to be observed during major meteor showers, when the Moon passes through dense streams of debris left by comets and asteroids. The recent flash is suspected to originate from the Geminid meteor shower, which was at its peak during the observation.
The astronomer highlighted the considerable challenges involved in capturing such an event, which requires a "fair deal of patience." Key obstacles include the need to observe the dark side of the Moon and the persistently cloudy skies typical of the UK and Ireland.
Mapping Threats for Future Lunar Missions
Beyond the sheer spectacle, this research carries profound practical importance for the future of lunar exploration. Marshall-Lee has been working on this project for nearly three years, with a key goal of mapping where these micro-meteoroids strike.
"If we were to put a telescope on the moon or a mission of some kind, we wouldn't want it to get smashed by these meteorites because we've put it in a place where that is more likely to happen," he stated. This work contributes to a larger European Space Agency (ESA) mission, providing critical data to help safeguard upcoming lunar infrastructure.
The next phase of Marshall-Lee's analysis will focus on determining the exact size and speed of the impacting object and confirming its celestial origin. This landmark observation from Armagh places UK and Irish astronomy at the forefront of efforts to understand and mitigate risks for humanity's return to the Moon.
