NELIOTA Lunar Impact Flash Detection and Event Validation

TL;DR

NELIOTA is a lunar monitoring project using high-speed twin-camera observations to detect and validate impact flashes on the Moon, contributing to understanding small NEOs and their impact frequency.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel automated detection software and a four-year observational campaign that has identified over 40 lunar impact events.

Findings

Detection of more than 40 lunar impact flashes.

Implementation of an automated software for event detection.

Effective exclusion of satellite artifacts from impact data.

Abstract

NELIOTA (NEO Lunar Impacts and Optical TrAnsients) is an ESA-funded lunar monitoring project, which aims to determine the size-frequency distribution of small Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) via detection of impact flashes on the surface of the Moon. A prime focus, high-speed, twin-camera system providing simultaneous observations in two photometric bands at a rate of 30 frames-per-second on the 1.2 m Kryoneri telescope of the National Observatory of Athens was commissioned for this purpose. A dedicated software processes the images and automatically detects candidate lunar impact flashes, which are then validated by an expert user. The four year observing campaign began in February 2017 and has so far detected more than 40 lunar impact events. The software routinely detects satellites, which typically appear as streaks or dots crossing the lunar disk. To avoid confusing these events with real flashes, we check different available catalogs with spacecraft orbital information and exclude spacecraft identifications.