A Space Rock the Size of a Building Just Left Its Mark on the Moon

The moon is sporting a new crater, measuring 728 feet wide and 141 feet deep. Here is a look at the latest discovery on the surface of the moon.

NASA Orbiter Discovers Massive Crater on the Moon

Observations from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) have revealed a giant crater that is making headlines in astronomical circles. A space rock careening into the surface of the moon created a crater that is as long as two football fields. The impressive battle scar is located on the moon's eastern edge.

Although the moon may appear desolate in images, it is frequently bombarded with asteroids and comets that stir up the dust and produce large craters on the surface. A new report in Science Advances is detailing how a comet or asteroid estimated to be the size of a three-story building careened into the lunar surface.

Because the crater is so new, astronomers now have the opportunity to observe the immediate aftermath of such a significant impact. Astronomers noticed the young crater while looking through images collected by the LRO in April and May of 2024.

The LRO has been instrumental in helping NASA to spot new craters since its initial launch in 2009. At least 1,000 new craters and 100,000 lunar surface changes attributed to direct impacts or secondary strikes from debris have been observed by LRO.

Image-processing specialist Robert Wagner first noticed the crater on October 24, 2025, detailing that it presented as a big bright circle encased by a dark halo. Wagner recalled that he "just stopped, dropped everything, and started looking into what that spot was."

How Astronomers Assess New Craters

Identifying new craters is a complicated process that involves more than comparing before and after photos. Experts lean on special software that is engineered to identify the smallest changes in shadows and lighting. The precise nature of the software inherently generates hundreds of false alarms.

As such, Wagner carefully examined the individual pixels on the image to confirm that the moon was indeed struck by a massive space rock. According to Wagner, “It was by far the most obvious impact debris pattern I’ve ever seen in one of these images."

The new crater was named McGetchin in honor of the renowned lunar scientist Tom McGetchin.

Diviner, the LRO’s thermal instrument, confirmed a four-mile-wide region surrounding the crater that is much colder than its surroundings at night. Scientists say that the drop-off happens when impacts are so significant that the nearby surface layers of the regolith are disturbed to a great extent.

The researchers have now turned their focus to determining the size of the rock that struck the moon, in addition to the impact force. Fortunately, the LRO has the tools needed to assist in this process. The scientists will publish these results in the future.

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