Moon’s McGetchin Crater: A Real-Time Window Into Impact Physics
TL;DR
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter identified McGetchin crater as the largest newly formed impact crater on the Moon, about 728 feet (222 meters) wide and 141 feet (43 meters) deep, formed between April 11 and May 22, 2024. The site, observed before and after the impact, shows an extensive ejecta blanket and a ~4.3-mile-wide thermal “cold spot” around it, revealing how the surface and upper regolith were disturbed. The findings—published in Science Advances—offer a pristine natural laboratory for studying crater formation and lunar geology with implications for future exploration.
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- NASA’s Moon Orbiter Spots New, ‘Once-in-Century’ Moon Crater science.nasa.gov
- Asteroid the size of six-storey building crashed into moon in 'once-in-a-lifetime' moment, says NASA Sky News
- Something Crashed Into the Moon in 2024, Leaving a Curiously Cold, ‘Once in a Century’ Crater Gizmodo
- NASA spacecraft discovers a huge new crater on the moon Phys.org
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