A US researcher working with NASA has identified the largest new impact crater ever discovered anywhere in the solar system, on the Moon's surface. NASA made the announcement publicly, naming the formation McGetchin after American geologist and planetary scientist Thomas McGetchin. The crater measures 222 meters in diameter and approximately 43 meters deep, with the impact that created it occurring between April 11 and May 22, 2024. The asteroid or comet responsible is estimated to have been roughly the size of a three-to-six-story building. Craters of this magnitude form on the Moon less than once per century, making the discovery a genuine once-in-a-hundred-years find. It was spotted on images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been photographing the lunar surface continuously since 2009. The full findings are published in Science Advances.
NASA Discovers the Largest New Impact Crater Ever Found on the Moon
A house-sized asteroid struck the Moon between April and May 2024, carving a 222-meter crater that researchers say forms less than once per century.
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