NASA found a 222-meter-wide crater on the Moon — the largest modern lunar crater whose appearance could be confirmed from surface images taken before and after. For scientists, this is a rare chance to study the effects of a space impact almost from the very beginning.
The McGetchin crater left a mark far beyond the depression itself. Ejected rock changed the surface more than 120 kilometers from the impact site. Around the crater, a nighttime zone formed where the ground is about 9°C colder than the surrounding surface.
The crater was discovered with the help of Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been photographing the lunar surface for years. Comparing archive images made it possible to notice a change on the surface that had not been there before. Now researchers will be able to watch how this fresh scar gradually changes.
