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See the original image at science.nasa.gov

100 Explosions on the Moon

science.nasa.gov — Over the past two and a half years, NASA astronomers have observed the Moon flashing at them not just once but one hundred times.

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  • Rubab, on 05/27/2008, -36/+31These explosions occur due to the meteoroids hitting the Moon
    • DeskFlyer, on 05/27/2008, -1/+68I totally forgot about reading that in the article. Thanks for reminding me.
    • TobiasParker, on 05/27/2008, -10/+4RTFA!
    • piccols8, on 05/27/2008, -0/+8Or because aliens are launching their ships. Maybe H.G. Wells wasn't so far off...
    • Shadow120, on 05/27/2008, -1/+6METROID?

      SHEZ REAL?
    • Kzoo, on 05/27/2008, -1/+1Uhm, thanks for the summary?
    • transform100, on 05/27/2008, -0/+3METROID??? You mean Samus! bastards...
  • skewl, on 05/27/2008, -35/+2 This is truly ridiculous.
  • sgiffy, on 05/27/2008, -4/+87Lesson number 9567 on why we don't jump to magic whenever something unexplained is observed.
    • sockpuppets, on 05/27/2008, -1/+31HERETIC!!
    • ralphthemagi, on 05/27/2008, -2/+9Do you doubt my magic?
    • Narrwald, on 05/27/2008, -16/+3Did you really just try to turn this into a flame war about religion? THIS early in the comments? For shame.
      • nmnnotmyname, on 05/27/2008, -1/+16Because you assumed religion and magic are related, you just started it :P
        • Narrwald, on 05/27/2008, -2/+2Oy, good point. Keep burying me so we don't have to worry about this. -_-
      • sgiffy, on 05/27/2008, -0/+5I wasn't so much thinking of religion, more that these are the sorts of thing that are all to often jumped on, by conspiracy types to fuel their magical fantasies of aliens, Nazi moon bases, etc.
    • Gforce20, on 05/27/2008, -0/+5Pfft, duh! Magic is absurd! Religion is the only way to explain such things.
    • mannajar, on 05/27/2008, -0/+0Lesson number 9567 on why we don't call people lunatics whenever something unexplainable is reported.

    • designerutah, on 05/27/2008, -0/+0Shun the non-believer!
  • prompel, on 05/27/2008, -17/+57The Moon flashing the Earth? Or mooning us, perhaps?

    ... the nerve! Arrest! Gitmo the man in the moon! Chuck him in cheese!
    • huhwhathuh, on 05/27/2008, -10/+3what the ***** are you talking about?
    • darklights, on 05/27/2008, -9/+2I'm intrigued - WHAT?
    • Vosona, on 05/27/2008, -0/+5Play on words, you idiots.
      • darklights, on 05/28/2008, -1/+0O rly?

        What does gitmo mean? What is the relevance of chucking somone in cheese?
  • BigManOnCampus, on 05/27/2008, -18/+3My moon explodes more than that each day.
  • iching, on 05/27/2008, -18/+5Why do suicide bombers hate us for our moon? The aliens attacking our moon are unreasonable
    and should not be bargained with or we will be seen as appeasers. President Bush should immediately attack the Universe otherwise the terrorist will win. If we don't fight them there
    we will have to fight them here on Earth...... Wake up people!
  • sjbdallas, on 05/27/2008, -22/+6The aliens must be pretty bad shots if they keep hitting the moon instead of us. You'd think after 50 or so shots they'd get it right, but even after 100 shots they have hit us yet?
    • aComa, on 05/27/2008, -4/+4Jokes should be concise and witty. You fail at both.
    • PhoenixAvatar2, on 05/27/2008, -1/+2Except they do hit us. That's what a meteor shower is. So you fail three times.
  • xptweakerntn, on 05/27/2008, -13/+3Nothing to see here, just the man on the moon shooting fireworks...
  • dylio, on 05/27/2008, -18/+1You see it was from Xenu's fleet of golden 747s that got hijacked by the Thetan terrorist group and in order...

    Where am I going with this?
    • TobiasParker, on 05/27/2008, -1/+10Straight up to Negative Diggsville.
      • TonyLocNE, on 05/27/2008, -1/+1Straight down would have been punnier..
        • TobiasParker, on 05/27/2008, -1/+1That is why i said Straight up.
    • wastedpanda, on 05/27/2008, -1/+9About 6 Feet Under.
      Buried.
    • dylio, on 05/27/2008, -3/+2*insert witty remark about being dugg down here*
  • redxninja, on 05/27/2008, -12/+5Naw, that is just the reflection of my uber powerful lasor eye goggle.
  • AmericansRevolt, on 05/27/2008, -0/+36for as clear and open space seems to be, we really do live in a dust-bowl full of *****. thank you molten core, i like your force fields you make, you do a nice job.
    • archlich, on 05/27/2008, -0/+2The magnetic field surrounding the earth doesn't protect us from objects as large as meteoroids. The field does, however, protect us from objects with much less mass, like highly energetic protons or alpha particles.

      Our atmosphere takes care of most of the larger objects.
      • CanadianRealist, on 05/27/2008, -0/+3Yes our atmosphere does protect us. But it's the magnetosphere (earth's magnetic field) which prevents the solar wind from stripping away our atmosphere. The lack of a significant magnetic field is why Mars has such a thin atmosphere.

        So in fact, yes the magnetosphere does (indirectly) protect us from meteoroids.
        • Kzoo, on 05/27/2008, -0/+0Getting technical there :P. Good point though.
        • archlich, on 05/27/2008, -0/+1No not at all, solar wind, is by definition, high energy particles, not meteoroids.
        • AmericansRevolt, on 06/02/2008, -0/+0thank you canadian guy. im sorry to see that youre canadian but i do appreciate the explanation haha j/k. :)
    • warrenterr, on 05/27/2008, -5/+3***** you, *****.

      -Molten Core
      • korvan504521, on 05/27/2008, -0/+1I feel kinda bad for Molten core, nobody visits him what with TBC and all. . .
    • Fartbandit, on 05/27/2008, -0/+2You may also want to thank both our sun and jupiter for bieng giant cosmic vacuums that suck up around 90% of the cosmic debris flying around in our solar system.
      • AmericansRevolt, on 06/02/2008, -0/+0hell yeah! also, thank you Black Hole of the Milky Way, you have a good appetite too. although i bet that japanese hotdog eater can still cram more down then you can in 10min.
  • Nubli, on 05/27/2008, -1/+65That's no moon.
  • kingUssop, on 05/27/2008, -2/+2Dugg for the article actually including that line.
  • CrazedLeper, on 05/27/2008, -7/+1Is it me or does the entire moon seem to recoil on impact? Does anyone else see a slight movement of the whole moon? How could this be observed in such a short period of time?
    • NotLikely, on 05/27/2008, -0/+7That would probably be due to instability in the atmosphere, which is what astronomers refer to as "seeing." When the seeing is poor (i.e., the atmosphere is unstable), air currents in the column of atmosphere through which the telescope is looking refract the incoming light by amounts that vary over time, and the image of whatever you're looking at can shift by significant amounts.

      There are other possibilities, among which the most likely is that the motor drive of the telescope through which the image sequence was taken has an imperfection on one of its drive gears, and that imperfection went by during the sequence.

      Either way, it's a sure bet that the movement you saw has nothing to do with the impact.
      • CrazedLeper, on 05/27/2008, -2/+1Thanks for reasoning out an unlikely, authority-absolving reply. You did not, however, answer my question. Did you see it? Your explanation is implausible but you tendency to defend the machine is apparent.

        I hadn't yelled conspiracy (yet), it could have been my player, or the video itself. Did anyone else see what I saw?
        • eir574, on 05/27/2008, -0/+4What? NotLikely's response was clear and straightforward. I'm not an astronomer, but it sounds perfectly reasonable to me. A quick google search reveals that he's not just making this up -- he's talking about a well known phenomenon. What's unlikely about it? And, he did answer your question indirectly by acknowledging that it occurred and providing an explanation.
        • Kzoo, on 05/27/2008, -0/+4I'm (not quite rank) amateur as astronomers go, but the things NotLikely mentioned are things the basic books talk about.

          Besides, the moon moved -before- it was hit. It was very likely a vibration that nudged the 'scope. At higher magnifications it's really easy to do accidentally, or if a truck goes by not too far away, or if the wind blows a little too hard.
      • tobikow, on 05/27/2008, -0/+1Is that a slow motion or sped up video? maybe its just the moon or the point of view moving.
        ...or the moon is now drifting out of orbit, and were all doomed.
  • logic07, on 05/27/2008, -1/+25I thought mooning was bad, but flashing...that's unacceptable!
  • sunshinemonster, on 05/27/2008, -1/+9Keep your shirt on The Moon, jeez.
  • 3leggedHorse, on 05/27/2008, -4/+7Another reason why a moonbase is a bad idea.
    • moriarty23, on 05/27/2008, -0/+4bad idea or best idea?
    • tehknotte, on 05/27/2008, -0/+1I'm sure they will think of something to deflect this debris.
    • BossKey, on 05/27/2008, -0/+3Especially if you name it "Moonbase Alpha."
  • moriarty23, on 05/27/2008, -0/+51100 Explosions on the Moon sounds like a ***** prog-rock band from De Moines.
    • nakile, on 05/27/2008, -0/+4I must be losing my mind or something. That made me laugh for almost ten minutes...
    • ObeseSnake, on 05/27/2008, -0/+1Kinda like "Explosion in the Sky" the American instrumental post-rock band from Texas?
  • Narrwald, on 05/27/2008, -1/+3I don't understand what's going on in my immediate surroundings.
  • badjoke, on 05/27/2008, -1/+2Sweet! That video/anigif is from my last birthday!
    • Cl1mh4224rd, on 05/27/2008, -0/+4> "Sweet! That video/anigif is from my last birthday!"

      Must've been a hell of a party. On the moon, no less. How much did *that* cost?
  • elliotys, on 05/27/2008, -1/+21Moon Colonist #1: "The sky is falling."
    Moon Colonist #2: "*****."
  • TheOle, on 05/27/2008, -3/+8My God, it's full of stars!
  • StanleyKoolPrik, on 05/27/2008, -1/+12The Moon is like Earth's Secret Service agent.
    • dudefaceguyman, on 05/27/2008, -0/+5Earth needs to hire some more agents then. One is pitiful. Look at Jupiter, that fatass pansy has damn near 40 guys taking bullets for him.
  • Hetman, on 05/27/2008, -1/+4The moor that I read about the moon the more that I realize it is just as crucial as anything on the earth. If it was not for the moon we would not have a stable orbit, we would not have tides and apparently it helps with incoming comets.
  • temporaryholder, on 05/27/2008, -1/+28If it's war they want, it's war they'll get
    • Lososaurus, on 05/27/2008, -0/+5....Fifth Element?
    • nevpayne, on 05/27/2008, -0/+1Full scene:

      "It was an ambush!"

      *Mangalores roaring and snarling*

      "If it's war they want.. it's war they'll get!!"

      *Louder Mangalore roaring and snarling*
  • duggdowncatisad, on 05/27/2008, -6/+1Iran is testing their nukes on the Moon! That means we need to invade! Support the troops!
  • sid007i, on 05/27/2008, -7/+2One of these days it will crack in half
  • morgrar, on 05/27/2008, -7/+1hmm. that's interesting, but no mention of this when we actually landed on the moon back in the day?
    • Malacchite, on 05/27/2008, -0/+2There was no mention of a 2005-08 study in 1969? Must be a conspiracy!
  • JQP123, on 05/27/2008, -1/+3An above ground moon base would be like a sitting duck --- only a matter of time before it gets hit ... hard.
  • MorphicMusic, on 05/27/2008, -5/+2SANTA CLAUSE
  • NolaR4, on 05/27/2008, -1/+2Uniformitarian science makes the comment that impacts to the erath only happen once in several thousand years. I don't believe it. Take a look at all of the 'new moons' found in orbit on the outer planets. More rocks captured by planet gravity. The moon is taking hits for the earth. The number of sightings of bolides and other objects are increasing.
    Looks like there is a Kaboom - Splat in our near future.
  • p51d007, on 05/27/2008, -1/+2See the TV show "Space 1999"....looks like they are running a little late LOL.
  • Niightwitch, on 05/27/2008, -6/+1That's not the moon, that's Uranus.
  • stikkitjim, on 05/27/2008, -2/+4Xenu?
  • blacklilyninja, on 05/27/2008, -2/+1dugg for explosions
  • Philbert, on 05/27/2008, -1/+1Now wait just one second... Are you telling me, that the moon, has no atmosphere for meteorites to burn up in? Hogwash! I don't believe it.
  • NatrlSelection, on 05/27/2008, -1/+3I bet it's some forgotten astronaut trying to get our attention with a mirror
  • itcoll, on 05/27/2008, -2/+2thank god ! its not happening on earth .
    • Fartbandit, on 05/27/2008, -0/+5No need to thank god... We have our atmosphere to thank for protecting us against most of the smaller objects that simply burn up on entry!
      • itcoll, on 05/27/2008, -0/+2who do u think created that atmosphere ?
        its god !
        that was why i thanked HIM .
  • rigi42, on 05/27/2008, -1/+2It's a trap!
  • lelion, on 05/27/2008, -1/+2That's no meteor, that's a studio light at a secret moon base facility they set up where they are currently filming the next fake moon landing. ..... He! He!
  • ninjan, on 05/27/2008, -1/+2M-O-O-N, that spells Tom Cullen.
  • carmaa, on 05/27/2008, -1/+1Did someone else feel an urgent need to connect the dots on that second picture?
  • eq2s, on 05/27/2008, -0/+2A lunar outpost in the center of the side of the moon that faces the earth would have the least chance of being hit. The earth would block some paths of particles that would usually collide with the moon.
  • woodguard, on 05/27/2008, -0/+2The best part of the story is “Not so long ago, anyone claiming to see flashes of light on the Moon would be viewed with deep suspicion by professional astronomers. Such reports were filed under "L" … for lunatic”.
    I wonder what else people see in the sky and are call lunatic, just because we have not found a logical reason YET? Or at least one science likes.
  • djkool14, on 05/27/2008, -0/+0Wouldn't you think Nasa would have started monitoring this impacts back during the Apollo missions? Seems like it would be highly important to know whether the lunar landers would be pelted by meteors. Especially given that some of the manned missions were planned for this December/January high impact period. GG Nasa ;)
  • McShr3dd3r, on 05/27/2008, -0/+1In Morse Code the explosions spell C-H-E-E-S-E
  • goddessophia, on 05/27/2008, -1/+1Maybe the moon is upset with the sun because he doesn't pay attention to her yet expects her to pay attention to him. Maybe they broke up because there was never a real relationship in the first place because there is no communication and only avoidant behavior. Maybe the moon and the sun are not compatible or maybe the sun is not the sun at all but is just pretending to be the sun to distract the moon before she dreams. The sun doesn't like the moon for who she is because when she tries to show the sun that she likes him it makes him feel awkward and that's his right to feel however he wants to feel but that is how the moon is and how she expresses her sentiments. If you don't like that then you don't like me and there is only so much about herself that she can change and when she is mad she doesn't care if the sun is happy and might even disappear all together. (New Moon) Funny the sun thinks that the moon is vain but the moon goes out of her way to do things and get things done and she enjoys doing things for other people and causes... I think the sun is vain and only wants to verify whether or not the moon really has feelings for him without being expected to act on them. OH... and whoever said, "love is like shoes, it just fits," suffers from poor logic and I can't believe that that is one of your sources. Where do you buy your shoes? because I can wear shoes in at least three sizes depending on the style and maker... someone who loves shoes so much would know that and would NEVER make a statement like the one above. THE MOON IS ANGRY
  • Laxcougar18, on 05/28/2008, -0/+0This is totally a cover up! .....There's a war going on up there and the government doesn't want us to know!!!

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