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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →They were brief flashes of light from meteoroids striking the Moon. NASA’s preliminary science report says the team ruled out other possible sources, including cosmic rays and reflections from the spacecraft, before confirming five extremely faint flashes seen during the Artemis II flyby.
What the astronauts saw
On April 6, 2026, during Artemis II’s lunar flyby, the crew watched the Moon’s darkened far side during an eclipse. They saw momentary pinpricks of light—not the fragments themselves—as rocky debris hit the lunar surface. NASA’s preliminary report says Orion was about 46,000 miles from the Moon when the crew reported the five confirmed bursts.
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The Moon has no atmosphere to slow or burn up incoming debris before it reaches the ground. As NASA puts it, “projectiles slam freely into the lunar surface.” The impact produces a short-lived flash that can be visible from a spacecraft when viewing conditions are dark enough. The eclipse helped make these faint bursts easier to notice.
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NASA’s April 6 flyby update said the crew had reported six meteoroid impact flashes and that researchers would analyze imagery and audio to refine their timing and locations. In its October 7 preliminary report, NASA described five extremely faint “pinprick” bursts and said the science team had confirmed them as impacts after considering other possible sources.
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The public reports reviewed do not explain what happened to the sixth initially reported event. The distinction is therefore between six events reported by the crew in April and five confirmed in the October preliminary report; the reason for the difference is not stated.
How large were the impacting fragments?
Based on the brightness of the flashes, NASA estimated that the fragments were no more than a couple of inches wide and were traveling thousands of miles per hour. These are estimates, not direct measurements of rocks seen by the astronauts: the crew observed the light produced at impact.
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Why the observations matter
Small impacts are difficult to observe, so reports from the Moon’s far side add useful evidence about how often they occur. NASA says that information matters for evaluating long-term impact risk to future lunar habitats and infrastructure.
Apollo astronauts reported similar flashes. NASA says the Artemis crew likely saw the faintest flashes yet observed by unaided eye; that comparison is NASA’s characterization of the observations.
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What data NASA released
NASA’s October 7 release says more than 800 gigabytes of lunar science data were uploaded to the agency’s Planetary Data System. The release includes more than 11,000 full-resolution images and videos, 8.5 hours of audio recordings of crew lunar observations, and crew-annotated images. Those materials give researchers additional records to examine as analysis continues.
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Sources
- NASA’s Artemis II preliminary lunar science report, October 7, 2026
- NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby update, April 6, 2026
- NASA’s October 7, 2026 lunar science data release
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