small asteroid hit the moon on February 23, 2023. The asteroid, which was about the size of a basketball, struck the moon's surface at about 10:30 p.m. EST. The impact was so powerful that it created a crater about 10 feet wide.

 small asteroid hit the moon on February 23, 2023. The asteroid, which was about the size of a basketball, struck the moon's surface at about 10:30 p.m. EST. The impact was so powerful that it created a crater about 10 feet wide.

The asteroid was first detected by the Catalina Sky Survey, a network of telescopes in Arizona that is dedicated to finding near-Earth objects. The survey's operators alerted NASA, which then used its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to confirm the impact.

The impact was not visible from Earth, but it was recorded by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The images show a bright flash of light at the impact site, followed by a plume of dust and debris.

The impact is the latest in a series of asteroid strikes on the moon. In January 2019, a meteorite smashed into the moon's surface during a lunar eclipse. And in March 2013, a 30-cm meteoroid created a 20-meter crater on the moon.

These impacts are a reminder that the moon is constantly bombarded by space debris. While most of these objects are too small to cause any damage, larger impacts can be dangerous. In 1991, an asteroid about the size of a car hit the moon, creating a crater about 300 feet wide.

NASA is monitoring the moon for potential asteroid impacts. The agency's Planetary Defense Coordination Office has a plan in place to deflect any asteroid that is large enough to pose a threat to Earth.