{
  "id": 7940639,
  "title": "Rare lunar impact creates largest newly discovered crater in solar system",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/rare-lunar-impact-creates-largest-newly-discovered-crater-in-solar",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-17T03:32:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2026/09/17/rare-lunar-impact-creates-largest-newly-discovered-crater-in-solar-system/235489"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "NASA researcher Robert Wagner has discovered a massive, recently-formed crater on the Moon, a rare event that occurs \"once in a century or even longer,\" according to scientists. Dubbed \"McGetchin,\" the crater measures 730 feet (222 meters) in diameter, making it the largest newly discovered crater in the solar system. It is believed to have been formed by a comet or asteroid impact in spring 2024, with the object responsible estimated to be the size of a building three-to-six stories high.\n\nThe discovery was made through a new scan of the Moon's surface by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which has been studying the Moon since 2009. The crater appears as a \"large bright spot circled by a dark halo\" in LRO images.\n\nAlthough the Moon is known for its numerous craters, many of which are larger than McGetchin, studying the formation of a crater in real-time provides valuable insights into the Moon's geology. This understanding could help prepare future crewed missions to the Moon, currently planned by both the United States and China.\n\nUnlike Earth, the Moon lacks an atmosphere, so space debris does not slow down or burn up before colliding with the surface. The study of this newly discovered crater, published in the journal Science Advances, emphasizes the importance of monitoring lunar impacts to better understand our celestial neighbor and plan future lunar missions.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON, Sept 17 — A researcher at Nasa has found a massive, recently-formed crater on the Moon, a r...",
  "key_points": [
    "NASA researcher Robert Wagner discovered McGetchin crater on the Moon.",
    "McGetchin crater measures 730 feet in diameter, largest newly discovered crater in solar system."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The discovery of the McGetchin crater provides valuable insights into the Moon's geology, which could help prepare future crewed missions to the Moon planned by the United States and China.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}