The Moon may look quiet, but it is still changing. Scientists have found a large new crater there. They saw it by comparing older and newer pictures from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO. This spacecraft has been studying the Moon since 2009. The team reported the discovery at the 57th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in 2026. (hou.usra.edu)
The new crater formed in late spring 2024. It is about 225 meters wide and about 43 meters deep. That makes it the biggest new crater found during the LRO mission so far. Before this, the largest one found during the mission was 70 meters wide. In the study, the researchers said a crater this large may form only about once every 139 years. (hou.usra.edu)
The impact was very strong. Bright material thrown out by the crash spread around the crater. Near the rim, many older small craters were damaged or erased. The scientists also found large blocks of rock on the ground nearby. The biggest blocks were about 13 meters long. Inside the crater, some dark material may be fast-cooled melted rock made by the impact. (hou.usra.edu)
This discovery is exciting because the Moon keeps a clear record of impacts. NASA explains that the Moon has no liquid water or wind, so craters can stay visible for a very long time. A new crater like this gives scientists a rare chance to study exactly how impacts change a world’s surface. Even now, the Moon is not a dead place. It is still being shaped by space rocks. (science.nasa.gov)










