NASA spacecraft discovers moon crater bigger than Roman Colosseum
Summary
NASA found a large crater on the moon that formed in 2024 after an asteroid or comet hit the surface. The crater is bigger than the Roman Colosseum and is the largest recent impact in the solar system. Scientists used photos from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to discover it months after the impact.Key Facts
- The crater is about 728 feet wide and 141 feet deep.
- It formed between April 11 and May 22, 2024.
- The impact was caused by a space rock the size of a three- to six-story building.
- This kind of large impact happens roughly once every 132 years.
- The crater is named after Thomas McGetchin, a former Lunar and Planetary Institute director.
- The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been orbiting the moon since 2009.
- The moon’s surface soil is churned by impacts roughly every 80,000 years, faster than earlier estimates.
- NASA is studying how flying debris from impacts might affect future moon bases and how to protect them.
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