Scientists detect 'spectral lines' after SpaceX rocket hits Moon
What's the story
The European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope in Chile recorded evidence of a SpaceX rocket fragment crashing into the moon at 8,690 km/h. Observing the impact, the telescope captured distinct spectral lines: the "chemical fingerprints" of sodium and lithium gas in the resulting dust plume. The plume spanned tens of kilometers, while the ESO confirmed these colorful gas signatures remained visible for five to ten minutes following the collision.
Plume details
Sodium gas detected in spectra
The impact plume, as per Carl Schmidt from Boston University's Center for Space Physics, was a few tens of kilometers in size.
The sodium gas detected in the spectra is believed to have originated from the lunar soil while traces of lithium may have come from the rocket stage itself.
This observation provides valuable insights into the composition the Moon's surface and soil.
Exploration impact
Data from crash will help NASA's future lunar missions
The collision of the SpaceX rocket stage with the Moon could offer valuable data for future seismic experiments and assessing "hazards from artificial space debris impacts."
This is particularly important as NASA plans to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon. Understanding space debris in lunar orbit will be critical to ensuring the safety of these missions.
The rocket fragment is part of the Falcon 9 that launched Firefly Aerospace's lunar lander toward the Moon in January 2025.
Impact aftermath
Crash created a 20m wide crater
The force of the crash is expected to have created a "massive" new crater, likely 20 meters in diameter and five meters deep.
However, despite multiple telescopes observing the Moon, clear imagery or shots of the impact were not captured.
NASA and its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter probe, along with South Korea's Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, plan to photograph the impact site.
These images could reveal the rocket's wreckage but may take days to be received.