NASA researcher identifies new 222-metre-wide crater on Moon
A NASA researcher has identified a recently formed crater on the Moon measuring 730 feet (222 metres) across. Named McGetchin, it is believed to have formed in the spring of 2024 when a comet or asteroid the size of a three-to-six-storey building struck the surface. Scientists estimate such impacts occur about once a century, or once every 132 years. Robert Wagner of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team spotted it in a new scan. Two studies appeared Wednesday in Science Advances.
Source
France 24 · read the original report ↗
Desk check · compared with the source
What the desk checked (5)
- The crater, named McGetchin, measures 730 feet (222 metres) wide. — Figure appears in source, attributed to a NASA blog post.
- An impact of this magnitude occurs on the Moon about once in a century or longer; researchers cite once every 132 years. — Attributed to NASA and to researchers in the source; no independent verification possible.
- The crater was formed in spring 2024 by a comet or asteroid the size of a three-to-six-storey building. — Stated in source as researchers' belief and description; presented as an estimate.
- It was spotted by Robert Wagner of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team in a new surface scan. — Named attribution present in source.
- A study published Wednesday in Science Advances called it the largest new crater ever discovered in the solar system. — Attributed to a named peer-reviewed journal; date given only as 'Wednesday' in source.
Analysts’ view opinion
This is more than an astronomy item — it is risk data arriving precisely as both the United States and China work towards crewed lunar missions and permanent presence. The story notes the Moon has virtually no atmosphere, so debris neither slows nor burns up before impact; an event capable of gouging a 222-metre crater is therefore a genuine engineering problem for future habitats, landing pads and rovers. Even if such impacts occur only about once a century, that is exactly the kind of tail risk long-duration human missions must design for.
- The absence of an atmospheric shield, as the story stresses, means even modest objects strike the surface directly — pushing shielding and hardening up the agenda for any lunar base design.
- That a crater sitting there for years was spotted only in a new scan hints at gaps in continuous lunar surface monitoring.
- Long-lived observation platforms like the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, operating since 2009, are quietly becoming strategic assets for mapping and situational awareness.
- With both Washington and Beijing planning crewed missions, granular surface and impact-history data can translate into an edge in landing-site and base-site selection.
- Because the findings appear in Science Advances as open science, the data is available to all actors — leaving room for cooperation alongside competition.
What to watch — Watch for proposals to expand lunar impact monitoring, and for whether these studies start being cited in habitat and landing-site selection debates.
The story does not establish that any mission or asset was endangered, that any national programme has changed course, or that there is any military dimension — and even the timing of the impact is an estimate.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 4 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
A NASA researcher has identified a newly formed impact crater on the Moon, named "McGetchin", measuring 730 feet (222 metres) across. It is believed to have formed in the spring of 2024 when a comet or asteroid roughly the size of a three-to-six-storey building struck the lunar surface. The crater was spotted by Robert Wagner of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) team in a new scan of the Moon's surface, and two studies on it were published Wednesday in Science Advances. Because the Moon has virtually no atmosphere, space debris is not slowed or burned up before impact, making such events directly observable.
Key facts
- The crater, dubbed "McGetchin", measures 730 feet (222 metres) wide, according to a NASA blog post.
- It is believed to have formed in the spring of 2024 from a comet or asteroid colliding with the Moon.
- The impacting object was described by researchers as the size of a building three-to-six storeys high.
- NASA says an impact of this magnitude happens on the Moon about once in a century or even longer; researchers estimate once every 132 years.
- Robert Wagner, a researcher with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), noticed the crater in a new scan of the Moon's surface.
- The crater appeared as a "large bright spot circled by a dark halo" to the LRO probe, which has studied the Moon since 2009.
- Two studies on the subject were published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
- One study determined it was the largest new crater ever discovered in the solar system.
Timeline
- 2009NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) probe begins studying the Moon's surface.
- Spring 2024The impact believed to have created the McGetchin crater occurs, caused by a comet or asteroid.
- Not stated in the source (after the impact)Robert Wagner of the LRO team notices the crater in a new scan; it had been there for years undiscovered.
- Wednesday (date not stated in the source)Two studies on the crater are published in the journal Science Advances.
Who has a stake
- NASA — Announced the discovery via a blog post; the finding informs its plans to build a base for astronauts on the Moon.
- Robert Wagner, LRO researcher — Identified the crater in a new scan of the lunar surface.
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission team — Operates the probe that has imaged the Moon since 2009 and captured the bright spot with a dark halo.
- Scientists publishing in Science Advances — Authored two studies calling the event a statistically rare, once-in-a-lifetime observation and the largest new crater found in the solar system.
- United States and China — Both currently plan crewed missions to the Moon that could benefit from better understanding of lunar geology and impact risk.
Why it matters
Observing a crater's formation in near real time lets scientists study lunar geology as it happens, rather than only through ancient features. With both the United States and China planning crewed lunar missions, and NASA preparing a base for astronauts, understanding how often building-sized objects strike an airless Moon is directly relevant to mission safety and design.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- McGetchin: newly identified lunar crater, 730 feet / 222 metres wide, believed formed in spring 2024.
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO): NASA probe studying the Moon since 2009; detected the crater as a bright spot with a dark halo.
- Robert Wagner (LRO researcher) identified the crater in a new lunar surface scan.
- Impacts of this magnitude estimated at once a century or longer; researchers cite once every 132 years.
- Two related studies published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances; one called it the largest new crater ever discovered in the solar system.
- The Moon has virtually no atmosphere, so space debris is not slowed or burned up before hitting the surface.
Mains framing
The identification of the 222-metre-wide McGetchin crater, formed by a three-to-six-storey-sized comet or asteroid striking the Moon in spring 2024, illustrates how continuous orbital monitoring converts a rare natural event into usable science. The underlying cause is physical: unlike Earth, the Moon has virtually no atmospheric layer, so incoming debris neither slows nor burns up, and impacts of this scale are estimated to occur only once in a century, or once every 132 years. The implication is twofold. Scientifically, watching crater formation in effectively real time deepens understanding of lunar geology, in contrast to studying older and larger craters whose formation was never observed. Practically, as both the United States and China plan crewed lunar missions and NASA prepares a base for astronauts, quantifying the frequency and energy of such impacts is a planning input for habitat siting and surface operations. The way forward implied by the source is sustained observation of the kind the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has provided since 2009, and peer-reviewed publication of findings, as with the two Science Advances studies, so that rare events are captured and interpreted rather than missed.
Key terms
- McGetchin
- Name given to the newly identified lunar crater, 730 feet (222 metres) wide, believed to have formed in spring 2024.
- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
- NASA probe that has been studying the Moon's surface since 2009; its scans revealed the new crater.
- Science Advances
- Scientific journal in which two studies on the new lunar crater were published on Wednesday.
- Impact crater
- Depression formed when an object such as a comet or asteroid collides with a planetary surface.
- Dark halo
- The darker ring seen around the crater's large bright spot in LRO imagery, a signature of a fresh impact.
Practice questions
- How does the absence of an atmosphere shape the Moon's surface geology, and why does this make lunar impact craters scientifically valuable?
- Discuss how continuous robotic orbital observation, such as NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, contributes to planning crewed missions to the Moon.
- The McGetchin crater is described as a once-in-a-lifetime observation. Examine the significance of studying crater formation in real time for understanding the solar system.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.