A once-in-a-century lunar collision just reshaped the Moon's surface
In short: While scanning routine data, a scientist spotted an anomaly: a bright patch surrounded by a dark halo. It wasn't a glitch; it was the largest newly formed crater ever identified in our solar system, created by a single impact that disturbed the lunar landscape for miles.
The feature, officially named McGetchin after pioneering scientist Tom McGetchin, appeared on the Moon’s eastern edge between April 11 and May 22, 2024. A collision involving a comet or asteroid, measuring approximately three to six stories tall, created it upon impact. Because the Moon lacks an atmosphere to burn up incoming space rocks, these objects strike directly, carving out significant geological features. The resulting crater is approximately 728 feet wide (about two football fields long) and 141 feet deep.
The discovery was made by Robert Wagner, an image-processing specialist at Intuitive Machines, who noticed the impact while performing a data-quality check on images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). By comparing 'before' and 'after' imagery, researchers confirmed that the collision created a surprisingly large cold zone. The scale of this event is significant; scientists estimate that an impact of this magnitude occurs only about once every 100 to 132 years.
This find underscores the importance of long-term orbital monitoring. Since its launch in 2009, the LRO has identified at least 1,000 new craters and flagged 100,000 surface changes. Studying these dynamic shifts helps researchers understand lunar topography and informs future plans for sustained human presence and commercial activity on the Moon.
While Anton Petrov highlights this discovery as a major recent event in his coverage of lunar exploration, it serves as a reminder that the Moon is a constantly evolving environment, shaped by debris from across the solar system.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: A Massive New Crater Just Appeared on the Moon
- Also: NASA’s Moon Orbiter Spots New, ‘Once-in-Century’ Moon Crater - NASA Science
- Also: NASA’s Moon orbiter finds a 728-foot crater that wasn’t there before
- Also: The Moon Just Got a Massive New Crater That's Wider Than Two End-to-End Football Fields. It's a 'Once-in-a-Lifetime Observation'
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/space-a-massive-new-crater-just-appeared-on-the-moon.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Astronomy · More in Space · Latest · A–Z · All topics
