Discovery of the McGetchin crater on the Moon after a rare impact event

Consensus Summary

Scientists have uncovered the McGetchin crater, a newly formed lunar impact site measuring 222 metres across and 43 metres deep, making it the largest known crater created in recent times. Discovered in 2025 by NASA scientist Robert Wagner, the crater was formed between April 11 and May 22, 2024, after a comet or asteroid strike the size of a three- to six-storey building. Both ABC and 7NEWS agree that this rare event, occurring only once every 132 years, provides critical insights for future lunar research, particularly as NASA prepares to establish a base for astronauts on the Moon. The crater’s discovery was made possible by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been mapping the Moon’s surface for more than 17 years, revealing that the top 2 centimetres of lunar soil is overturned by ejected material every 80,000 years—faster than previously thought.

The McGetchin crater stands out as three times larger than the previous record-holder identified by the LRO a decade ago. Its formation was initially undetected by telescopes on Earth and in space, with the LRO’s wide-angle images only flagging the anomaly in August 2025. According to ABC, Wagner spotted an unusually large bright spot circled by a dark halo while reviewing routine data, prompting further analysis that confirmed the crater’s existence. The impact’s force churned the lunar surface for more than 100 kilometres, ejecting dust and soil at higher angles than expected, as noted by both outlets. This event underscores the Moon’s dynamic and violent history, with some of its largest craters stretching over 2,400 kilometres across, according to NASA’s findings.

Key figures in the discovery include Robert Wagner, who led the investigation, and Mark Robinson, chief scientist for the LRO’s cameras at Intuitive Machines. Robinson’s research team described the event as a ‘statistically rare, effectively once-in-a-lifetime observation,’ highlighting its significance for understanding lunar geology. ABC quotes Wagner as saying he ‘stopped, dropped everything, and started looking into what that spot was’ upon noticing the anomaly. Meanwhile, 7NEWS emphasizes the crater’s size—comparable to the Roman Colosseum—and its potential to inform NASA’s plans for a lunar base, given the physical changes impacts can cause to the Moon’s surface, such as altering how rover wheels interact with the terrain.

While both sources align on the crater’s dimensions and its rarity, discrepancies arise in the timeline of its discovery. ABC specifies that Wagner identified the crater on October 24, 2024, while 7NEWS states that detailed images were gathered last year (2025) and confirmed early this year (2026). Additionally, ABC provides more technical details, such as the LRO’s ability to detect temperature variations and the presence of a 6.5-kilometre ‘cold spot’ around the crater, whereas 7NEWS focuses more on the event’s broader implications for lunar exploration. These differences reflect varying emphases—ABC leans toward scientific methodology, while 7NEWS highlights the discovery’s practical relevance for future missions.

The articles also diverge slightly in their descriptions of the impact’s detection. ABC notes that the LRO’s software flagged shifts in the lunar surface using wide-scale before-and-after photos, while 7NEWS explains that the crater was initially missed in real-time observations but later spotted in May 2024, with confirmation delayed until August 2025. Despite these nuances, both outlets agree that the McGetchin crater represents a groundbreaking find, offering unprecedented data on lunar impacts. As NASA continues to analyze the LRO’s findings, the discovery may reshape understanding of the Moon’s surface dynamics and the frequency of such catastrophic events, which could have implications for the safety and planning of future lunar bases.