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Astronomer captures rare footage of lunar impact flash

00:24

Watch: Rare video of lunar impact flash captured on video

An astronomer has captured what is believed to be the first recorded video of a lunar impact flash in Ireland.

On Friday (12 December), Andrew Marshall-Lee, a final-year PhD student, recorded the flash using the Armagh Robotic Telescope (ART) at the Armagh Observatory and Planetarium.

He explained that lunar impact flashes - an explosion of light caused by something hitting the Moon's surface - are extremely rare events, with this believed to be the second sighting in the UK.

He said he was “very fortunate in that I just so happened to be looking at the screen at the right time and I saw it happen with my own eyes”, adding that the moment will stick with him “for a lifetime”.

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