NASA satellite discovers a new crater on the moon that's bigger than the Colosseum
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has discovered a new, large impact crater on the moon's surface that formed in 2024. The crater is significant for its size and the rare opportunity it provides for scientists to study lunar surface changes.
Why it matters
This discovery offers valuable data for future lunar exploration and base-building efforts by providing insights into the moon's geological activity.
The steep-sided hole — 222 metres across and up to 43 metres deep — is the solar system's biggest known impact crater carved out in recent times.
Such a large-scale event is estimated to occur only once every 132 years, researchers said, making this a treasure trove of information as NASA prepares to build a base for astronauts on the moon.
"This event constitutes a statistically rare, effectively once-in-a-lifetime observation," the scientists wrote in one of two studies appearing on the subject Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spotted the crater on the moon's near side in May 2024 soon after it was formed by an incoming fragment of an asteroid or comet. The moon strike escaped real-time detection by telescopes on Earth and in space.
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