Strange Moon Anomaly 2015

To me the explanation is simple.

It is a very small wisp of cloud passing in front of the Moon, and being illuminated by the Moon. Before it passed in front of the Moon it was camouflaged with the sky, and I'm sure video compression at that point also played a role, but as soon as it passed in front of the Moon it was lit from behind.

It is not a clear day by any means, I see clouds and wisps all over the scene.

I don't see this being any type of moon anomaly simply because, if it was, it would be detected by many across the world, and because the scale just isn't right. Do you guys understand the scale here? If that anomaly was on the Moon it would have been larger than several countries, and the speed of which it would have ejected from the Moon would be several thousand times faster than sound. Not seeing that being possible without hundreds of witnesses.

originally posted by: anonfamily
Do you guys understand the scale here? If that anomaly was on the Moon it would have been larger than several countries, and the speed of which it would have ejected from the Moon would be several thousand times faster than sound. Not seeing that being possible without hundreds of witnesses.

That's what I'm thinking. In the two years since the impact, somebody would have mentioned that there's a huge new crater just past the horizon. There are a few lunar orbiters taking images, not to mention all the ground-based observers, professional and amateur. One of them probably would have spotted it.

originally posted by: anonfamily
I don't see this being any type of moon anomaly simply because, if it was, it would be detected by many across the world, and because the scale just isn't right. Do you guys understand the scale here? If that anomaly was on the Moon it would have been larger than several countries, and the speed of which it would have ejected from the Moon would be several thousand times faster than sound. Not seeing that being possible without hundreds of witnesses.

Unique things happen all the time.

As for the scale issue, I can't agree. If you look at the relative sizes of the Earth and Moon, you can see that the plume (if plume it was) wouldn't even have been the apparent size of a terrestrial hurricane.

Note "apparent size". It's unrealistic to suppose that a debris plume consisting largely of ice and water billowing up into a near-perfect vacuum would actually represent an equivalent amount of solid matter. You drop a bag of flour, you don't get a small square oblong burst-mark on your kitchen floor.

Nor do you have to assume that the apparent speed of a disproportionately-reflective plume represents the physical speed of an equivalent solid object.

The motion of the plume (if it was a plume) will be the giveaway for an expert eye - we know from footage of the lunar landings that dust thrown up from the lunar surface behaves in a unique manner as it rises then falls back to the surface.

Anyway, this is one for the experts. I'm just a mildly-excited layman.

a reply to: audubon

I agree with you...

The scenario you described seems very plausible to me - an object hitting the back side of the moon a sort of 'glancing' blow, shoving dust/debris forward into the sunlight, could make a relatively small bit of 'ejecta' look much bigger...

...and could account for there not being a hugely noticeable (to whoever monitors orbiter images) 'new' crater...

originally posted by: lostgirl
a reply to: audubon

I agree with you...

The scenario you described seems very plausible to me - an object hitting the back side of the moon a sort of 'glancing' blow, shoving dust/debris forward into the sunlight, could make a relatively small bit of 'ejecta' look much bigger...

...and could account for there not being a hugely noticeable (to whoever monitors orbiter images) 'new' crater...

Cheers - positive feedback is so rare in internet discussions that I'm giving you a star to mark the occasion!

Re: No-one spotting a crater at the location indicated by this video, here is a story about a significant lunar impact crater that was only located (2015) two years after the impact itself was observed (in 2013).

The instrument was the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - which tells you a lot, namely that it doesn't have the sort of observational superpowers many people suppose it to have, and that if no-one knows an impact has happened they won't go looking for proof.

ETA: I am at risk of choking this thread by monopolising it with my ravings, so am going to shut up now because that would be a shame.

originally posted by: Caughtlurking
a reply to: MarsIsRed

I saw the flapping motion as well but only under the one filter. I couldn't see it anywhere else.

Yes me too, on the pink/purple filter, definitely saw a swooping motion like a flock of birds diving, and the setting sun is lighting them up with the same brightness as it is with the moon (ish, enough to fool the eyes into thinking its coming from the moon)...maybe?

originally posted by: MrConspiracy
The bird would still be visible once it had crossed. It wouldn't just stop appearing from the camera's view.

Not necessarily, if it was a light brown bird, for example, it would blend with the general colour of the image.

a reply to: Leeyum

A small lens flare?