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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.

Who dugg this? Made popular May 27, 2008

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  • sgiffy, on 05/27/2008, -4/+87Lesson number 9567 on why we don't jump to magic whenever something unexplained is observed.
  • DeskFlyer, on 05/27/2008, -1/+68I totally forgot about reading that in the article. Thanks for reminding me.
  • Nubli, on 05/27/2008, -1/+65That's no moon.
  • moriarty23, on 05/27/2008, -0/+51100 Explosions on the Moon sounds like a ***** prog-rock band from De Moines.
  • 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!
  • 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.
  • sockpuppets, on 05/27/2008, -1/+31HERETIC!!
  • temporaryholder, on 05/27/2008, -1/+28If it's war they want, it's war they'll get
  • inactive, on 05/27/2008, -1/+25I thought mooning was bad, but flashing...that's unacceptable!
  • elliotys, on 05/27/2008, -1/+21Moon Colonist #1: "The sky is falling."
    Moon Colonist #2: "*****."
  • RogerStrong, on 05/27/2008, -0/+15Why?
  • inactive, on 05/27/2008, -1/+16Because you assumed religion and magic are related, you just started it :P
  • StanleyKoolPrik, on 05/27/2008, -1/+12The Moon is like Earth's Secret Service agent.
  • sgiffy, on 05/27/2008, -1/+11Could be a Battlestation, but I'm not so sure.
  • h4mx0r, on 05/27/2008, -1/+11SORCERY!!
  • TobiasParker, on 05/27/2008, -1/+10Straight up to Negative Diggsville.
  • sgiffy, on 05/27/2008, -1/+9Mostly, there is still a spattering of independent contractors on it, so let your conscious be your guide on that one.
  • lotsa1s, on 05/27/2008, -1/+9Is it operational?
  • wastedpanda, on 05/27/2008, -1/+9About 6 Feet Under.
    Buried.
  • sunshinemonster, on 05/27/2008, -1/+9Keep your shirt on The Moon, jeez.
  • piccols8, on 05/27/2008, -0/+8Or because aliens are launching their ships. Maybe H.G. Wells wasn't so far off...
  • ralphthemagi, on 05/27/2008, -2/+9Do you doubt my magic?
  • 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.
  • werries, on 05/27/2008, -1/+8BURN THE WITCH!
  • Lososaurus, on 05/27/2008, -0/+5....Fifth Element?
  • Vosona, on 05/27/2008, -0/+5Play on words, you idiots.
  • Philbert, on 05/27/2008, -0/+5"Leeloo Dallas Multi-pass"
  • Gforce20, on 05/27/2008, -0/+5Pfft, duh! Magic is absurd! Religion is the only way to explain such things.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • H1tchh1k3r, on 05/27/2008, -2/+7What is it then?
  • 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!
  • Shadow120, on 05/27/2008, -1/+6METROID?

    SHEZ REAL?
  • TheOle, on 05/27/2008, -3/+8My God, it's full of stars!
  • nakile, on 05/27/2008, -0/+4I must be losing my mind or something. That made me laugh for almost ten minutes...
  • 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.
  • daRoach, on 05/27/2008, -0/+4Hemroids
  • 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?
  • moriarty23, on 05/27/2008, -0/+4bad idea or best idea?
  • 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.
  • jakatan, on 05/27/2008, -1/+4did you mean "Truly outrageous?"

    http://catistrulyoutrageous.ytmnd.com/
  • 3leggedHorse, on 05/27/2008, -4/+7Another reason why a moonbase is a bad idea.
  • MacSuxWindozSux, on 05/27/2008, -0/+3DEATH TO THE DISBELIEVER!
  • BossKey, on 05/27/2008, -0/+3Especially if you name it "Moonbase Alpha."
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • GiggleStick, on 05/27/2008, -1/+4Very Small Rocks!
  • inactive, on 05/27/2008, -0/+3METROID??? You mean Samus! bastards...
  • stikkitjim, on 05/27/2008, -2/+4Xenu?
  • subterfuge, on 05/27/2008, -0/+2oh, the irony
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