A researcher at NASA has found a massive, recently-formed crater on the Moon, a rare occurrence that only happens “once in a century or even longer,” according to scientists.<\/p>\n
The crater, dubbed “McGetchin,” measures 730 feet (222 meters) wide, NASA said in a blog post.<\/p>\n
It is believed to have been created in the spring of 2024 from a comet or asteroid colliding with the Moon, with researchers describing the object that caused it to be the size of a building three-to-six stories high.<\/p>\n
“Scientists estimate that an impact of this magnitude happens on the Moon about once in a century or even longer,” NASA said in the blog post.<\/p>\n
Although the crater had been there for years, it was not discovered until Robert Wagner, a researcher with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), noticed it in a new scan of the Moon’s surface.<\/p>\n
The crater appeared as a “large bright spot circled by a dark halo” by the LRO probe, which has been studying the Moon since 2009.<\/p>\n
A study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances determined it was the largest new crater ever discovered in the solar system.<\/p>\n
While the Moon has numerous craters, many of which are far bigger than McGetchin, researching a crater’s formation in real time can help build understanding of the Moon’s geology.<\/p>\n
This in turn could better prepare future crewed missions to the Moon, which are currently planned by both the United States and China.<\/p>\n
Unlike Earth, the Moon has virtually no atmospheric layer, so space debris does not slow down or burn up before colliding with the surface.<\/p>\n
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