Story perspectives

Rare Moon Impact Creates Giant 225-Meter Crater in 2024

4/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

A significant Moon impact in late spring 2024 formed a 225-meter-wide crater, three times larger than any recorded by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission.
The impactor struck from the south-southwest and formed a funnel-shaped crater 43 meters deep.
Inside the crater, scientists found dark, glassy rock formed from the intense heat.
The event occurs roughly once every 139 years and provides high-quality before-and-after images, enabling researchers to refine crater-formation models.

1 of 1

Story summary

A significant Moon impact in late spring 2024 formed a 225-meter-wide crater, three times larger than any recorded by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission.
The impactor struck from the south-southwest and formed a funnel-shaped crater 43 meters deep.
Inside the crater, scientists found dark, glassy rock formed from the intense heat.
The event occurs roughly once every 139 years and provides high-quality before-and-after images, enabling researchers to refine crater-formation models.