NASA discovers rare, large crater on the moon from 2024 impact

Scientists have discovered a large, recently formed crater on the moon, providing a rare opportunity to study a major impact event in real time. The crater, named McGetchin, was identified by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and is estimated to be about 728 feet wide and up to 141 feet deep. Researchers say it is the largest impact crater in the solar system known to have formed in recent times. The impact that created the crater is believed to have occurred in the spring of 2024, likely from a fragment of an asteroid or comet. The event initially went undetected by telescopes on Earth and in space. The crater was first spotted in May 2024 by the LRO, but its significance was not identified until August 2025 when researchers compared sets of images. Detailed studies were published in the journal Science Advances. According to researchers, an impact of this magnitude on the moon is estimated to occur only once every 132 years. The discovery is considered a statistically rare event that offers valuable data. "This event constitutes a statistically rare, effectively once-in-a-lifetime observation," the scientists wrote in their studies.