Largest New Lunar Crater Identified After 2024 Impact
A routine data review revealed a 728-foot hole in the Moon’s surface, marking the biggest newly formed crater ever recorded in our solar system.
Scientists have identified the largest newly formed impact crater in the solar system, a hole 728 feet wide that appeared on the Moon in 2024. The discovery was made during a routine analysis of data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, highlighting how a single collision can significantly alter the lunar landscape. This finding underscores the ongoing value of long-term orbital monitoring as agencies prepare for sustained human activity on the Moon.
The crater, named McGetchin, was formed when an object roughly the size of a multi-story building struck the surface near the Moon’s eastern edge. Researchers estimate that such a large impact occurs only once every century or less. The discovery emphasizes the Moon's lack of atmosphere, which allows space rocks to strike the surface directly without burning up, creating a constant record of cosmic collisions.
A routine check reveals the impact
Robert Wagner, an image-processing specialist working with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, noticed an unusual bright patch surrounded by a dark halo while reviewing lunar maps. This pattern suggested that surface material had been recently disturbed. When he compared older and newer images of the same region, it became clear that a new crater had formed, leading to the official announcement in September 2026.
Measuring the scale of the collision
The McGetchin crater is approximately 141 feet deep and spans the length of two football fields. To put this in perspective, the depth could hold three yellow school buses stacked vertically. While most impacts on the Moon are much smaller, with about 140 new craters the size of a building created each year, events of this magnitude are rare and provide crucial data for understanding impact physics.
Unexpected thermal changes in the surface
Beyond the visible hole, the impact created a thermal anomaly that surprised researchers. Using the spacecraft’s thermal instrument, scientists found that an area roughly four miles wide around the crater is about 16 degrees Fahrenheit colder at night than the surrounding terrain. This cold zone extends far beyond the crater itself, demonstrating how deeply a single event can affect the local environment. As reported by GN auto tech/science: space discovery, these findings highlight the complex interplay between impact mechanics and lunar surface properties.
