article_snippet: Incredible before and after images have revealed a fresh lunar scar created by the biggest explosion ever recorded on the moon's surface.
article_snippet: the moon is pelted with cosmic debris all the time, but this relatively recent crater was created by an object the size of a small boulder.
article_snippet: Scientists watched the object explode as the moon hit the surface in Mare Imbrium creating a flash of light 10 times as bright as anything ever recorded on the moon before.
article_snippet: Incredible before (left) and after (right) images reveal a fresh lunar scar created by the biggest ever explosion recorded on the moon surface.
article_snippet: Slide the middle bar to see how the moon's surface changed after impact .
article_snippet: When a meteoroid strikes the moon, a large portion of the impact energy goes into heat and excavating a crater.
article_snippet: However, part of it also goes into generating visible light, which results in a brilliant flash at the point of impact.
article_snippet: Being able to get observations before, during and after the impact is a valuable opportunity to understand impact events better.
article_snippet: Comparing the actual size of a crater to the brightness of The brightest flash helps validate impact models.
article_snippet: The soil on the moon is formed slowly over time as micrometeorites impact the surface and slowly grind rocks into a fine powder.
highlights_snippet: Nasa watched a boulder-sized object explode on March 17 2013 .
  
highlights_snippet: Nasa flash was 10 times as bright as anything ever recorded on moon .
  