Analysis of Moon impact flashes detected during the 2012 and 2013 Perseids

TL;DR

This study reports on the detection of Moon impact flashes during the 2012 and 2013 Perseid meteor showers, estimating impactor properties and proposing a method to identify their origin.

Contribution

It provides new observational data on lunar impact flashes during Perseids and introduces a criterion to statistically determine their likely origin.

Findings

Detected 1 Perseid impact flash in 2012 and 12 in 2013.

Estimated luminous efficiency of 1.8 × 10^{-3}.

Impactor masses ranged from 1.9 to 190 grams.

Abstract

We present the results of our Moon impact flashes detection campaigns performed around the maximum activity period of the Perseid meteor shower in 2012 and 2013. Just one flash produced by a Perseid meteoroid was detected in 2012 because of very unfavourable geometric conditions, but 12 of these were confirmed in 2013. The visual magnitude of the flashes ranged between 6.6 and 9.3. A luminous efficiency of 1.8 $\times$ 10$^{-3}$ has been estimated for meteoroids from this stream. According to this value, impactor masses would range between 1.9 and 190 g. In addition, we propose a criterion to establish, from a statistical point of view, the likely origin of impact flashes recorded on the lunar surface.