A crater measuring roughly 728 feet (222 meters) across and about 141 feet (43 meters) deep has been identified on the Moon’s surface, marking the largest fresh impact feature ever recorded by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Named McGetchin, the depression formed sometime between April 11 and May 22, 2024, when an asteroid or comet fragment struck the lunar regolith.
Discovery and Measurement
Researchers first noticed the anomaly in 2025 while comparing sequential LRO images of the same region. Follow‑up imaging with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) confirmed a brand‑new crater and a surrounding spray of ejecta material. The LRO mission, now in its 17th year, provided a pre‑impact baseline that enabled scientists to detect subtle changes that would otherwise have been missed.
Two studies released on September 16 in the journal Science Advances detail the findings. The first, led by Mark Robinson of Intuitive Machines, focuses on the crater’s dimensions and the volume of material displaced by the impact. The second, authored by a team analyzing data from LRO’s Diviner Lunar Radiometer, examines the broader thermal effects surrounding the feature.
Scientific Significance
Tyler Powell, lead author of the Diviner‑based study, emphasized the rarity of the event: “McGetchin crater is exceptional because it is the largest newly formed impact crater that has been identified to date. A crater of this size is expected to form on the moon only once per century, so we’re extremely lucky it formed during the lifetime of the LRO mission and that we are able to observe the region both before and after impact.”
Diviner data revealed a roughly 4.3‑mile‑wide (7‑kilometer) cold spot encircling the crater, where nighttime temperatures drop 14 to 16 °F (8 to 9 K) below surrounding terrain. The temperature anomaly is attributed to the impact’s disturbance of the upper regolith, creating a looser, “fluffier” layer that retains less heat.
Beyond the thermal signature, LROC imagery shows an extensive ejecta blanket that extends well beyond the crater rim. Together, these observations provide a pristine example of how a fresh impact reshapes both the immediate cavity and the surrounding lunar surface—a condition rarely available because most lunar craters are ancient and have been altered by later impacts and space weathering.
Implications for Future Exploration
McGetchin’s location straddles the boundary between the Moon’s darker basaltic mare and the brighter highland terrain, offering a natural laboratory to compare impact effects across two distinct geological units. Powell noted that in‑situ measurements from a rover or crewed mission could link orbital observations with small‑scale surface changes, such as texture variations and the distribution of ejected material.
Understanding how impacts modify regolith properties has practical relevance for upcoming lunar missions. As NASA and other agencies plan more ambitious landings, insights from McGetchin could help engineers anticipate how rovers, landers, and other hardware will interact with freshly disturbed soil.
In summary, the discovery of McGetchin provides scientists with a rare, real‑time view of a large impact event, enriching models of crater formation, lunar geology, and the challenges that future explorers may face on the Moon’s dynamic surface.
Norman Pearlstine is the Executive Editor and Co-Founder at News Raise. With over two decades of experience across financial journalism, corporate governance, and market analysis, Norman leads the editorial direction and ensures strict adherence to journalistic accuracy and ethics.
