NASA researcher Robert Wagner has discovered a massive, 730-foot-wide lunar crater named McGetchin. Formed in the spring of 2024 by a building-sized impactor, the structure is identified as the largest newly formed crater ever discovered in the solar system, according to a study published in Science Advances.
A massive scar on the Moon’s surface has 730 feet, or 222 meters, across. According to NASA, scientists estimate that an impact of this tremendous magnitude occurs on the lunar body only once in a century or even longer.
Discovery of McGetchin Through Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Scans
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Although the geological feature had existed on the surface for years, it remained completely unnoticed until Robert Wagner, a researcher working with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, spotted it during a routine review of new topographical scans. The LRO probe, which has continuously studied the lunar environment since 2009, revealed the site as a distinct structural anomaly.
In imaging captured by the spacecraft, the feature appeared as a prominent bright spot completely encircled by a dark halo. This distinct visual signature ultimately led researchers to examine the formation in greater detail, culminating in a formal study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
Tracing the 2024 Impact of a Building-Sized Asteroid or Comet
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Investigators determined that the impactor responsible for carving out the McGetchin crater was a comet or an asteroid comparable in scale to a building three to six stories high. The cataclysmic collision itself occurred in the spring of 2024.
Because the Moon lacks a substantial atmospheric layer, space debris experiences virtually no atmospheric drag. Incoming objects do not slow down or burn up before slamming directly into the barren terrain, allowing even fast-moving interlopers to deliver their full kinetic energy straight to the bedrock.
Implications for Future Crewed Missions by the US and China
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While the lunar surface is heavily pitted with older craters of vastly greater proportions, observing and researching the formation of a fresh crater in real time provides researchers with an unprecedented window into lunar geology.
This refined geological understanding carries practical importance for upcoming exploratory efforts.
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