Unidentified object speeds past the Moon, baffling astronomers
Astronomer Sebastian Voltmer is perplexed by an unidentified object he saw flying past the Moon.
Voltmer was photographing the night sky, and a mysterious object appeared in the lens of his telescope.
“I can’t explain it,” he said. “I was filming the moon, and suddenly I saw something fast and bright rushing across the screen.”
It was initially thought that it was a satellite or space station, but these options were ruled out because such objects do not typically fly past the Moon at such high speeds. The meteorite was also ruled out because the object did not have a distinctive tail and its speed was too high.
@sebastianvoltmer Our Moon and a very fast object seen through the C11 telescope from our SpaceStudio @✨Weltraum-Atelier ✨ #space #moon #satellite #spacejunk #asteroid #craters #nasa #astrotok #astronomy #ufo #uap #astrophotography #sebastianvoltmer ♬ For An Angel – Spencer & Hill Remix – Paul van Dyk
The International Meteor Organization also said it had no records of shooting stars at the time Voltmer was filmed. The astronomer also rules out the presence of flies or dust near the lens.
“I guess it was at an altitude of 100 to 200 kilometers, which would be low Earth orbit,” Voltmer said.
The exact shape of the object cannot be determined because the still image is blurred due to its high speed. It may have been space debris or a military installation, but Voltmer disagrees.
This is not the first time astronomers have observed unexplained objects near the Moon. In 2019, the China National Space Administration released footage of an object passing behind the far side of the Moon. The object was never identified.
Voltmer’s discovery further highlights how mysterious phenomena in the cosmos continue to challenge our understanding. As scientists continue to study these objects, we may someday get closer to unraveling their true nature.
