NASA Reveals A Once In A Century Moon Crater That Could Shape Future Lunar Exploration

A routine review of lunar images turned into an extraordinary discovery when a scientist examining data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter noticed something that did not belong. On September 16, 2026, NASA announced that researchers had identified McGetchin crater, the largest newly formed impact crater ever discovered in the solar system. The finding gives scientists a rare opportunity to study a major lunar impact soon after it occurred and could help researchers better understand the environment future astronauts and equipment will encounter on the Moon.

The discovery began with Robert Wagner, an image processing specialist from Intuitive Machines who works with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera system. Wagner was conducting a routine data quality check when an unusually large bright area surrounded by a dark halo caught his attention. By comparing images of the same region taken at different times, researchers determined that the feature was the result of a significant impact. NASA said the crater formed between April 11 and May 22, 2024, when an asteroid or comet fragment struck the Moon. Scientists estimate the object may have been comparable in size to a building several stories tall.

A Rare Impact Leaves A Massive Mark

Officially named McGetchin in honor of pioneering lunar scientist Tom McGetchin, the crater measures about 728 feet across and approximately 141 feet deep. NASA described its width as roughly equivalent to the length of two football fields. Researchers estimate that an impact of this magnitude occurs on the Moon only about once every century, or possibly even less frequently.

Unlike Earth, the Moon has virtually no atmosphere to slow or destroy incoming space rocks. Objects that might burn apart while entering Earth’s atmosphere can instead strike the lunar surface at tremendous speeds. Those collisions continually reshape the Moon, although most impacts are far smaller than the event that produced McGetchin crater.

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been studying this changing landscape for more than 17 years. Equipped with seven scientific instruments, the spacecraft maps lunar topography, temperatures, radiation conditions, and surface composition. During the mission, scientists have identified at least 1,000 new impact craters and approximately 100,000 additional surface changes associated with impacts and flying debris. Earlier research using the orbiter also demonstrated that lunar impacts disturb the surface more extensively than scientists once estimated.

Why The McGetchin Crater Matters

The importance of the discovery extends beyond the crater itself. Follow up observations using the orbiter’s Diviner thermal instrument revealed a region about four miles wide surrounding McGetchin that is approximately 16 degrees Fahrenheit cooler at night than nearby terrain.

Scientists believe the temperature difference occurs because the collision loosened the Moon’s regolith, the layer of dust and fragmented rock covering its surface. The disturbed material is less dense and does not retain heat as efficiently. This finding shows that a large impact can physically alter lunar terrain far beyond the crater’s visible edge.

That matters as NASA and other organizations plan increasingly ambitious lunar operations. Changes in soil density and structure could influence how rover wheels interact with the ground. Impact debris also represents an important consideration for equipment expected to remain on the lunar surface for extended periods.

NASA previously reported that small impacts and the debris they generate can overturn lunar surface material considerably faster than older models suggested. Research based on Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter observations estimated that 99 percent of the Moon’s surface could be disturbed to a depth of several centimeters over roughly 81,000 years.

A Discovery With California Connections

The research also has a California connection. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California supports extensive planetary science and exploration work, while the broader Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter program contributes information used to understand hazards and conditions around the Moon.

In August 2026, NASA reported that its Center for Near Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory helped predict the location where a Falcon 9 upper stage would strike the Moon. The event provided another recent example of how impact science can improve tracking and observation techniques.

McGetchin crater offers scientists something especially valuable: a relatively fresh natural laboratory. Because researchers have images from before and after the impact, they can compare the terrain directly and examine how one rare collision transformed the lunar environment.

For California readers and space enthusiasts elsewhere, the discovery is also a reminder that the Moon is not a completely static world. Its surface continues to evolve through impacts, and modern spacecraft are allowing scientists to observe those changes with remarkable precision.

As lunar exploration expands, McGetchin crater could provide researchers with useful information about impact hazards, surface conditions, and the processes that continue to reshape Earth’s nearest celestial neighbor. Each new observation adds another piece to scientists’ understanding of the Moon and the environment future robotic and human explorers will navigate.