That seemingly-disappointing lunar impact from last week? Turns out that there was visible debris kicked up from it after all, according to a new image released by NASA’s LCROSS team.
The image was captured by the LCROSS shepherding spacecraft, which was closely following the rocket when it hit the moon. According to LCROSS principal investigator Anthony Colaprete, it was this closeness that allowed them to capture the image at all:
The ejecta had to only come out and get into the sunlight a little more than a kilometre [high] for us to see it. It only had to rise half as high [as it would have for it to be visible to Earth-based viewers]… I think we are the only ones that have images.
Sounds a little suspicious to us, but maybe we’re just cynical. According to Colaprete, analysis of the image and other data from the impact will be available mid-November.
Elusive lunar plume caught on camera after all [New Scientist]
