An astronomer on Earth sees a meteor hit the Moon at exactly the same time as he sees a solar flare erupt on the sun.The solar flare and the meteor impact are simultaneous events in this astronomer's reference frame.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The solar flare and the meteor impact cannot be simultaneous in the astronomer's reference frame because light from the Sun takes about 8 minutes to reach Earth, while light from the Moon takes about 1.3 seconds. The events are not simultaneous; they only appear to be due to the different distances light travels from each event to the observer.

An Astronomer on Earth Sees a Meteor Hit the Moon