NASA confirms 222-meter crater formed by impact on the Moon
NASA scientists confirmed on September 17, 2026, the discovery of a lunar impact crater spanning the size of two soccer fields on the Moon. The feature displays steep walls measuring approximately 222 meters in width and reaching 43 meters in depth, marking the largest fresh impact depression observed in the solar system.
Strikes of this scale occur once every 132 years based on statistical recurrence models. The calculation coincides with current efforts by space agencies to build permanent lunar outposts for astronauts. Planners must assess these impact frequencies to protect crew quarters on the surface.
Robert Wagner, who operates NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter systems, initiated the discovery while reviewing lunar surface maps in May 2024. He spotted an unusually bright reflection encircled by a dark halo within archived spacecraft telemetry.
Wagner determined that the distinct mark revealed a recent physical modification of the lunar terrain. The sharp contrast indicated fresh disturbance. Analysis confirmed rapid displacement of surface dust.
The impact struck the eastern sector of the Moon between April and May 2024. The colliding projectile, likely an asteroid or a comet, approached the volume of a six-story building.
“This event constitutes a statistically rare observation that occurs practically once in a lifetime,” project scientists wrote in technical documentation regarding the strike. The team highlighted the exceptional nature of the finding. Such documented impacts offer unprecedented calibration points for planetary geology.
The team designated the geological cavity after Thomas McGetchin, former director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. Its dimensions triple the previous impact record that LRO cameras established a decade ago.
Earth telescopes detected no flash.
Wide-angle camera frames from LRO remained unexamined in data archives until August 2025. The orbiter subsequently took targeted high-resolution images to confirm the physical breach.
Energy released during the strike shook the surrounding regolith across a distance exceeding 100 kilometers from ground zero. The shockwave fractured surface layers deep beneath the exterior crust. Shock patterns extended far beyond the immediate crater rim.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter camera team principal investigator Mark Robinson stated that pulverised rock fragments and debris traveled along steeper angles than
