Spacecraft to Slam into the Moon

[Jamie]

This would be great to see.

Scientists are plotting out a “crash course” in learning what happens when a European lunar probe slams into the Moon.

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) SMART-1 spacecraft—now circling the Moon—is headed for a planned early September impact with Earth’s celestial neighbor.

Read more here. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/060307_smart1_moon.html

[OXO]

Agreed it would be awsome to see this happen, i wonder if you could capture this?

James :moon:

[Jamie]

Don't see why not if you have the correct location.

[OXO]

According to Starry night the Moon is far too low in the sky from the uk or at least Blackpool anyway...

One to watch on NASA tv me thinks

[GazOC]

What is the smallest thing you can see on the Moon with (say) a 8" scope?

[OXO]

Don't know Gaz i suppose it's down to Atmospherics and Resolution of the Telescope?..

[GazOC]

Theres got to way for figuring this out (Dawes lmit and all that). One for work tonight methinks!!!

[daz]

Glad they keep you busy!!

[Albireo380]

Don't you have to work out the force of the impact of the probe into the moon, thus getting an idea of the flash, crater size and ejecta plume. Once you know this, then you try to work out if your 'scope can resolve it.

Or am I talking rubbish?

Tom

[OXO]

Good luck working it out Gaz i have tried but it just doesnt add up

[move] :moon:[/move]

[The Warthog]

I think that resolution is on the order of a kilometre. Remember, not even Hubble can resolve objects on the Moon landing sites, where some objects are 4m square.

I hope they crash it in the nighttime part of the moon, to enhance the chances. Is it going to be setting or rising in the UK?

[Astroman]

I was part of the vast crew of amateurs trying to image the crash of the Lunar Prospector probe back in 1999. Hundreds of us set up to video and take spectra etc. The hope was to crash the probe into a crater containing water, near the south pole and watch for ejecta. Noone saw anything, unfortunately. I got some great video of the moon, though. :?

You can probably forget about seeing the craft itself. The smallest craters I can identify with my C8 are about 5km or so, so WH is about right. (Hadley crater, near the Apollo 15 landing site is easily visible at 6km.) If the impact generates enough of a plume, (somewhat doubtful), you could conceivably see it, but I wouldn't hold my breath. If I could try it again, I would though. (Masochistic, I guess...)