NASA's Lunar Orbiter Discovers Largest New Impact Crater in the Solar System
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has detected a 728-foot-wide crater that appeared on the Moon in 2024, marking the largest newly formed impact crater ever identified in the solar system.
The discovery highlights the dynamic nature of lunar geology, even on an otherwise geologically quiet world. The impact created a disturbance spanning several miles from the crater's center, and scientists observed a surprisingly expansive cold zone surrounding the site—indicating that the collision ejected surface material that altered the thermal properties of the surrounding terrain.
Planetary scientists say the finding offers a rare opportunity to study fresh impact processes up close. Because the Moon lacks an atmosphere and active weather, impact scars remain largely preserved for millions of years, making each new crater a natural experiment in collision physics and surface modification.
The LRO, which has been orbiting the Moon since 2009, continues to map lunar features with high-resolution imagery, enabling researchers to track changes over time and refine models of how impacts shape planetary bodies across the solar system.