NASA spots 220-meter crater on the Moon after massive collision
NASA detected an unprecedented lunar cavity formed by a violent cosmic collision on the surface of the Moon. Events carrying this level of energy occur on the natural satellite only once every 100 years.
The geological feature bears the official name McGetchin. It measures 220 meters across and extends 43 meters deep following the direct impact of an incoming asteroid or comet. Such dimensions demonstrate the extreme kinetic force delivered during the strike.
Calculations indicate the incoming space rock matched the physical volume of a building between three and six stories tall. Orbital records place the impact event in the observation window between April 11 and May 22.
Robert Wagner, a specialist affiliated with Intuitive Machines, found the fissure during a routine review of photographic records. Those images originated from instruments aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The discovery occurred unexpectedly while analyzing lunar topography.
Wagner compared lunar maps from different observation periods until an unusual bright spot with a shaded rim appeared. That distinctive visual mark pointed directly to recent mechanical disruption across the rocky surface.
“I simply stopped, dropped everything, and began investigating what that spot was,” Wagner said.
Agency evaluations determined that the formation constitutes the largest recent impact crater documented anywhere across the Solar System. Continuous monitoring confirmed the unprecedented character of the depression.
Celestial bodies strike lunar ground with high frequency due to the near-total lack of a protective atmosphere. Without sufficient atmospheric density, incoming projectiles do not slow down or disintegrate in flight. Space fragments strike the regolith at full speed.
Operating in orbit for over 17 years, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has identified at least 1,000 new impact depressions across the lunar crust while mapping roughly 100,000 surface modifications caused by striking space debris and expelled rock fragments. The spacecraft continues to catalog these ongoing geological transformations.
The vast majority of lunar strikes create substantially smaller marks on the surface. Craters measuring nine meters across form roughly 140 times each year. Cavities the size of McGetchin remain exceptionally scarce.
Thermal readings across a 6.4-kilometer radius showed night temperatures dropping 9°C below surrounding areas. The ground lost heat.
Scientists determined that the shock wave displaced the native regolith throughout the affected area. That displacement lowered the bulk density of dust and rock particles. The loose soil consequently struggles to retain warmth.
Data from this crater will provide baseline parameters for modeling topological shifts across lunar terrain. These insights will assist navigation plans for robotic vehicles operating on future surface missions.
Technical details of the event appeared in a study published by Science Advances. The paper formalizes ballistic trajectories and energy estimates gathered by the orbiter. Researchers expect the dataset to support future exploration models.
