A newly formed crater on the moon is teaching us about our nearest neighbour’s complex geology. The crater, formed by an asteroid impact in 2024, is the largest that we’ve ever watched form in real time. It was first spotted last year, when researchers compared sets of images taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in both 2024 and 2025, and was named McGetchin crater.
According to models of how often impacts occur on the moon, one this big – about 222 metres across – is only expected to occur about once every 132 years. While the moon has many larger craters, watching one as it forms and evolves presents a unique opportunity to learn about the lunar surface and its geology. These cold spots form when the lunar dust fluffs up after an impact, so it cools down faster after the sun sets.
Another team, led by Mark Robinson at Intuitive Machines in Texas, found that the impact flung dust and rocks more than 120 kilometres from the crater itself. And watching a huge new crater form and change over time is one of the best remote probes of the surface we’ve ever had. Science Advances DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeh9568 Science Advances DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeh7812
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