NASA discovers huge 222-meter-diameter crater on Moon

NASA has discovered a huge new crater on the Moon measuring 222 meters (728 feet) across, larger than Rome's Colosseum and the biggest contemporary impact crater observed to have formed anywhere in the Solar System, according to a study released Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

The crater was created when an asteroid or comet fragment, estimated to have been roughly the size of a three- to six-story building, slammed into the lunar surface between April 11 and May 22, 2024. The impact occurred on the Moon's near side and went unnoticed by telescopes on Earth and in space at the time.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been studying the Moon since 2009, eventually revealed the impact. Automated comparisons of the spacecraft's wide-angle images identified the new crater in August 2025, after which higher-resolution images confirmed the discovery.

Named for lunar scientist Thomas McGetchin, the crater is about three times wider than the previous record-holder found by LRO. It is also estimated to be only about 132 years per event, making such an impact exceptionally rare.

The collision dramatically reshaped the surrounding surface. Researchers found that dust and rocks were thrown farther and at higher angles than some models predicted, with changes extending more than 1,000 crater radii.

Another study detected a 6.4-kilometer-wide (4-mile-wide) region around the crater with altered thermal properties, suggesting that the impact loosened and disturbed the Moon's upper soil, or regolith, according to CBS News.

Scientists say the discovery provides a rare opportunity to improve models of lunar impacts and surface evolution. It could also have practical implications for future astronauts.

NASA plans to study how far material ejected by impacts can travel, information that could help engineers design and protect future lunar habitats.

The findings also suggest the Moon's surface changes faster than previously thought, meaning historic footprints left by Apollo astronauts may eventually be buried or erased by the continual "gardening" of lunar soil.