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A NASA researcher has discovered a massive crater on the moon that scientists say is a rare event occurring only about once in a century or longer.
Named “McGetchin”, the newly identified crater measures 730 feet, or 222 metres, across, according to NASA.
Researchers believe it was formed in spring 2024 when an asteroid or comet struck the lunar surface.
The object that created the crater was estimated to have been about the size of a three- to six-storey building.
“Scientists estimate that an impact of this magnitude happens on the moon about once in a century or even longer,” NASA said in a blog post.
Although the crater had existed for years, it was only recently identified by Robert Wagner, a researcher working with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Wagner spotted the feature while examining a new scan of the Moon’s surface.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been studying the Moon since 2009, captured the crater as a “large bright spot circled by a dark halo”.
Credit: AFP
A study published on Wednesday in Science Advances identified McGetchin as the largest newly formed crater discovered in the Solar System.
The Moon is covered with craters, many of which are far larger than McGetchin. However, scientists say observing a new crater soon after its formation provides a rare opportunity to study how impacts reshape the lunar surface.
Such research could improve scientists’ understanding of lunar geology and help prepare for future crewed missions to the Moon.
The United States and China are both planning further human exploration of the lunar surface.
Unlike Earth, the Moon has virtually no atmosphere. As a result, space rocks approaching its surface do not encounter enough atmospheric resistance to slow down or burn up before impact.
The discovery therefore offers scientists an unusual opportunity to study the effects of a recent extraterrestrial collision on the Moon.
