Scientists think an old rocket just hit the Moon going 5,800 mph

There are many craters on the lunar surface.

According to calculations, a rocket hurtling through space for years crashed into the Moon on Friday, but there might be a wait for photographic evidence.

Bill Gray, the astronomer who was the first to predict the collision, said the impact would have taken place on the far side of the Moon.

Gray said that the object should make a crater of 10 or 20 meters.

Earth-based telescope observations were used to calculate its speed, trajectory, and time of impact.

He said that there was nothing acting on the object except for the forces of gravity and sunlight.

The object hit the Moon this morning unless it was removed by a hand.

The identification of the rocket has been a subject of debate, since there is no official entity responsible for listing and tracking junk in deep space.

Gray, an independent contractor who has created orbital calculation software used by NASA, hunts for and monitors human-made debris so that scientists don't confuse it for asteroids and study it unnecessarily.

He initially thought he was seeing a rocket from a private company, but later realized it was a third-stage booster from the Chinese space agency.

Beijing said the booster entered the Earth's atmosphere and was completely incinerated.

According to Gray, the statement by China's foreign ministry conflated two missions with similar names, and was actually talking about a rocket launched much later.

The crater will only be imaged by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and India's Chandrayaan-2.

The US space agency said in January that finding the crater would be a challenge and that it would take weeks to months.

The probes can observe any region on the Moon once a month.

It is not unusual for rocket stages to be abandoned after being used for a purpose.

This would be the first time a collision with the Moon has been projected.

During the Apollo missions, spacecraft were crashed into the moon to test seismometers.

There will be a new year in 2022.

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