Meteorite smashes into moon, sparking largest lunar flash ever recorded

A nearly 900-pound meteorite was travelling 61,000 km/h when it ploughed into the moon on Sept. 11, 2013, according to the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The moment when a large meteorite smashed into the moon was captured on camera in what scientists are calling that largest lunar impact every recorded.

The nearly 900-pound rock was travelling 61,000 km/h when it plowed into the moon on Sept. 11, 2013, according to the latest Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The meteorite left a fresh 40-metre-wide crater in the moon's surface and the energy released at impact -- a so-called lunar "flash" -- was equivalent to 15 tonnes of TNT.

"With a duration of over 8 (seconds), this is the brightest and longest confirmed impact flash ever recorded on the moon," the analysis said.

The collision was recorded by Spanish telescopes that monitor the moon under a project called Moon Impacts Detection and Analysis System.

See video of the flash here: