Spaceship Set to Crash into Moon
Smart-1 Will Impact the Moon on September 2
The ESA spacecraft Smart-1 will smash into the moon on September 2, and if you're lucky, you may even witness the impact.
The European Space Agency (ESA) sent a probe named Smart-1 to the moon back in 2003. The probe has been orbiting the moon and sending back scientific data ever since. It tested a new ion engine, took photos of the moon and mapped mineral deposits, and discovered a mountain top near the North Pole that the sun never sets on. The mountain peak was given the gorgeous name of "Peak of Eternal Light" and is an important find for future travelers who may need to build a moon base in a location where they can have constant solar power.
But Smart-1's life is coming to an end as the craft's fuel runs low. ESA has decided that instead of waiting for it to crash, it would steer the probe into a spot that would be in darkness on the moon and turned toward Earth, giving us a chance to witness the crash. At impact, the probe will produce a flash of light from rocks and soil glowing from the collision. Additionally, there is also a chance that dust kicked up from the impact could travel high enough to pass above the shadow and into sunlight, although this possibility is more slim.
So how bright will the collision be? That is still a mystery. It may be too dim to see at all, but it's worth a look to find out. The impact will occur on Saturday, September 2, at 10:41 PDT. (Or Sunday, September 3, at 0541 UT. To convert from Universal Time to your local time, use the conversion chart.) Observers farther east will need a clear horizon because for some, the moon will be setting as the impact is expected to occur. For those east of Chicago, the moon will already have set. The moon itself will be found in the teapot asterism of Sagittarius. The location of the impact will be The Lake of Excellence, or Lacus Excellentiae, a 100-mile-wide darker region in the southern hemisphere. (Although the whole general area will lie in the dark, not being currently lit by the sun. Find a map of Lacus Excellentiae here.) Your best chance of seeing the impact is to train a telescope at the general area and don't blink! More observing tips can be found at ESA's web site.
Just to be on the safe side, you may want to take a peek one orbit earlier and one orbit later, in case the crash doesn't happen exactly as scheduled. The earlier and later orbits should occur September 3, 0036 UT, and September 3, 1046 UT, respectively.
UPDATE: The Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope captured the crash. A gif image is available online for viewing.
