NASA spacecraft discovers a huge new crater on the moon
Scientists say the 222-meter crater is the largest fresh impact ever found on the Moon and may help assess risks for future crewed missions.
- NASA researchers identified a massive new lunar crater, dubbed McGetchin, formed in the Spring of 2024. The 222-meter-wide crater features a 7-kilometer-wide cold spot detected by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
- Cold spots are regions cooler than surrounding lunar regolith, typically resulting from a 'decompaction' of surface material during powerful impacts. The Apollo 16 mission observed similar cold spots, supporting this explanation for the temperature difference around McGetchin.
- The 222-meter crater represents a rare 'once in a century or even longer' occurrence, measuring 70 meters larger than the previous record holder. The impact likely resulted from an asteroid or comet the size of a 3 to 6 storey building.
- Scientists called McGetchin an 'exceptional natural experiment' for measuring lunar surface reactions to fresh impacts. The crater's pristine state allows researchers to calibrate cold spot fading timescales, helping determine the age of young lunar craters.
- Data from cold spots provides critical information as NASA prepares to build a base for astronauts on the Moon. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified 100,000 surface changes, supporting future human and commercial activities on the lunar surface.
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256 Articles
This gaping hole, of a depth of 43 meters, is the result of a powerful impact that occurred two years ago and had gone unnoticed until then. It was discovered by chance in the fall of 2025 by a researcher who was examining images of the lunar probe LRO de la Nasa. - A gigantic lunar crater discovered by a probe of the Nasa (Sciences).
There's A Big New Crater On The Moon
The Moon got whacked. The Moon gets whacked a lot, honestly. You can just look at its beaten, cratered surface to see that. But these days we're pretty good at counting its scars. Since 2010, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling the Moon and constantly imaging its surface, and both computers and humans check those images closely to see if there have been any new kablammos since the last photograph. There often are. The LRO can spot…
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