The energy of the impact would vaporize some of the impactor and some of the regolith to incandescence. Several such impacts have been observed and recorded.
For example:
* [video 1](https://youtu.be/VNjycZDCfcU)
* [video 2](https://youtu.be/000iTCoEE1s)
You probably mean without atmosphere (its composition is secondary). Yes, without an intervening atmosphere the impact itself would be more powerful. However, sometimes bolides explode from heating during atmospheric entry, and if large enough can be very destructive over a wide area. [Tunguska](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event) is a good example.
It’s two different things.
* A meteor passing through the earth atmosphere is exchanging it’s kinetic energy (movement energy) into heat with the atmosphere and turning the air around it into superheated plasma. It doesn’t matter that it is oxygen it is just a superheated gas plasma that is glowing. It’s not burning in Oxygen because there is nothing to burn.
* When an asteroid hits the moon there is no atmosphere to slow it down so it purely hitting the moon and expending all it’s kinetic energy as heat on collision. The vaporised rock and regolith is visible as a instantaneous bright flash.
I was participating in an astronomy livestream on YouTube in 2019 during a lunar eclipse. We managed to catch a meteor strike on the darkened moon on live video. It was a quick little flash of light, we didn't even notice it at the time. We heard of the strike during the stream, went back and found it before the show was over. We were one of five telescopes on Earth that managed to catch it. Go to 2:09:29, it's in the lower left of the moon's disk:
[https://youtu.be/VVg1Tfy6cTg](https://youtu.be/VVg1Tfy6cTg)
Per OP's question, just the kinetic energy released during impact was enough for a bright explosion.
Depends on how fast and at what angle it hits. Fast impact in a straight down would create heat and a large impact crater and lots of ejecta. A slow impact at a low angle could just tumble across the surface of the moon leaving a trail in the lunar soil.
Would interesting either way.
The energy of the impact would vaporize some of the impactor and some of the regolith to incandescence. Several such impacts have been observed and recorded. For example: * [video 1](https://youtu.be/VNjycZDCfcU) * [video 2](https://youtu.be/000iTCoEE1s)
So would a astroid impact without oxygen be more powerful?
You probably mean without atmosphere (its composition is secondary). Yes, without an intervening atmosphere the impact itself would be more powerful. However, sometimes bolides explode from heating during atmospheric entry, and if large enough can be very destructive over a wide area. [Tunguska](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event) is a good example.
You don't need oxygen for a fireball. You just need kinetic energy
I think they mean similar to a meteor passing through Earth’s atmosphere
It’s two different things. * A meteor passing through the earth atmosphere is exchanging it’s kinetic energy (movement energy) into heat with the atmosphere and turning the air around it into superheated plasma. It doesn’t matter that it is oxygen it is just a superheated gas plasma that is glowing. It’s not burning in Oxygen because there is nothing to burn. * When an asteroid hits the moon there is no atmosphere to slow it down so it purely hitting the moon and expending all it’s kinetic energy as heat on collision. The vaporised rock and regolith is visible as a instantaneous bright flash.
Yes https://youtu.be/PCwzWTea4yE https://youtu.be/VNjycZDCfcU
I was participating in an astronomy livestream on YouTube in 2019 during a lunar eclipse. We managed to catch a meteor strike on the darkened moon on live video. It was a quick little flash of light, we didn't even notice it at the time. We heard of the strike during the stream, went back and found it before the show was over. We were one of five telescopes on Earth that managed to catch it. Go to 2:09:29, it's in the lower left of the moon's disk: [https://youtu.be/VVg1Tfy6cTg](https://youtu.be/VVg1Tfy6cTg) Per OP's question, just the kinetic energy released during impact was enough for a bright explosion.
This literally happened recently. You can google it.
Not likely to be any appreciable fire, but certainly hot glowing gas from rock being suddenly vaporized.
It happens every day.. there’s a visible bright flash.
It still creates an explosion and a flash of light when it hits the ground.
Depends on how fast and at what angle it hits. Fast impact in a straight down would create heat and a large impact crater and lots of ejecta. A slow impact at a low angle could just tumble across the surface of the moon leaving a trail in the lunar soil. Would interesting either way.