NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter helped spot a giant new crater on the moon.
Researchers say the crater, named McGetchin crater, is the largest newly formed impact crater identified in the solar system.
It measures about 728 feet across and up to 141 feet deep.
The impact is said to have occurred between April and May 2024 and initially went undetected.
Scientists say impacts of this scale are rare and provide a chance to study a pristine impact site.
One analysis says such large events are estimated to occur about once every 132 years.
Researchers also used thermal instruments to detect a cold spot around the crater.
The site is described as useful data as NASA prepares for future astronaut missions.
A quick read on shared facts, changing details, and different emphasis.
The reporting broadly agrees that NASA spacecraft data led to the discovery of a very large new lunar crater, McGetchin crater, and that it formed in 2024. The analyses also agree that the find offers a rare opportunity to study a recent lunar impact.
The exact circumstances of the impact remain limited to what researchers inferred from image comparisons and thermal data, and the analyses do not add more detail about the object that struck the moon. The timing is described as between April and May 2024, but no additional evidence in the supplied reporting narrows it further.
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The neutral framing presents the discovery as a scientific find made through Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data. It highlights the crater's measurements, the inferred 2024 formation window, and the rarity of impacts of this scale. The emphasis is on the research value of the site rather than any controversy.
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A NASA spacecraft has identified the largest newly formed impact crater in the solar system, named McGetchin crater, which formed between April and May 2024. Measuring roughly 728 feet across and 141 feet deep, the crater was discovered by researchers comparing images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Scientists report that impacts of this scale occur only about once a century, offering a rare opportunity to study a pristine impact site.
Scientists have discovered a massive new lunar crater measuring 728 feet across and up to 141 feet deep, created by an impact two years ago that initially went undetected. Spotting the crater via NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, researchers note that such large-scale events are estimated to occur once every 132 years. Named after former Lunar and Planetary Institute director Thomas McGetchin, the site provides valuable data as NASA prepares for future astronaut missions.
A routine check of lunar images by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter led to the discovery of McGetchin crater, the largest new crater ever found in the solar system. Formed by an asteroid or comet strike between April and May 2024, the crater measures 728 feet wide and 141 feet deep. Researchers utilized thermal instruments to detect a cold spot surrounding the crater, revealing extensive physical alterations to the lunar surface.