NASA confirms largest recent lunar crater formed in 2024

NASA announced on September 16, 2026, the discovery of a crater on the Moon named McGetchin, formed between April 11 and May 22, 2024, following the impact of an asteroid or comet fragment. The crater measures 222 meters in diameter and 43 meters deep, making it the largest known recent impact crater in the Solar System. The formation was initially undetected despite its size, with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) capturing the first images in October 2025 as a notably bright spot surrounded by a dark halo. Scientists Robert Wagner and Mark Robinson confirmed the discovery by comparing LRO imagery taken before and after the impact.

The crater was named in honor of Thomas McGetchin, former director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston. According to NASA researchers, impacts of this magnitude on the Moon occur approximately once every 130 to 132 years, making this event statistically rare. The impacting object was estimated to be the size of a three- to six-story building. The discovery was formally confirmed in early 2026, following detailed imaging conducted in autumn 2025.

Beyond the crater itself, scientists documented a surrounding region approximately 6.4 to 7 kilometers in diameter that is about 9 degrees Celsius cooler at night than surrounding terrain. This thermal anomaly results from the distribution of regolith—loosened surface material that retains less heat than undisturbed soil. The findings demonstrate how impacts alter the lunar surface and may affect rover operations. Two peer-reviewed studies on the discovery were published in Science Advances, with research led by scientists including Mark Robinson from Intuitive Machines and David Paige from UCLA. The discoveries underscore the value of continuous lunar surface monitoring as NASA prepares for crewed missions and base construction on the Moon.