APOD: 2026 September 23 Б A New Lunar Crater: McGetchin
Explanation:
A once-in-a-lifetime crater has appeared on the Moon!
A comet or asteroid roughly the size of a
humpback whale
(approximately 10-20 meters, 30-60 feet) crashed into the Moon sometime
between April and May of 2024. The
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
(LRO), with its
monthly monitoring of the Moon,
captured
todayБs images
of the lunar surface before and after the event. The resulting crater,
named after Apollo-era lunar scientist
McGetchin,
is two soccer fields across. Craters of this size are only expected once
every 132 years!
Follow up thermal imaging
revealed a
large cold spot
that surrounds the warm crater. Surface impacts will puff up the loose lunar sediment, or
regolith,
making it less dense and harder to retain heat. This event affected an area
much larger than the visible crater,
which will inform humanityБs understanding of surface impacts and the evolution of the MoonБs surface.
It also reminds us all to be
thankful for Earth's atmosphere.
APOD's email for image submissions has changed. Please see:
APOD Submissions.
APOD's main NASA site is moving:
From apod.nasa.gov to science.nasa.gov/apod
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
