{"id":2305,"date":"2026-09-27T01:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T16:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/briefing\/2026-09-27-mcgetchin-lunar-crater-en\/"},"modified":"2026-09-27T01:14:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T16:14:00","slug":"2026-09-27-mcgetchin-lunar-crater-en","status":"publish","type":"briefing","link":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/briefing\/2026-09-27-mcgetchin-lunar-crater-en\/","title":{"rendered":"A 222 m lunar crater formed in 2024 disturbed soil more than 3 km away"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026-09-27 01:14 KST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Repeated wide-angle images constrain formation to April 11\u2013May 22, 2024. It is the largest new crater identified since LRO operations began in 2009.<\/p>\n

High-resolution images give an average depth near 43 m, while thermal maps show cooler nighttime terrain extending beyond 3 km.<\/p>\n

How it was found<\/h2>\n

LRO repeatedly maps the Moon under similar lighting. Automated comparisons located the change, and meter-scale narrow-angle images measured the crater and ejecta.<\/p>\n

Why distant ground cooled<\/h2>\n

The impact overturned and loosened old fine regolith, changing nighttime heat storage. Diviner therefore detected altered surface properties well beyond visibly bright ejecta.<\/p>\n

\"A
This AI-generated image explains the topic; it is not a photograph of an actual event, observation or field site.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once per century is not a schedule<\/h2>\n

The 132-year value is a statistical impact-rate estimate. It does not mean impacts arrive regularly or that this object was tracked beforehand; Earth\u2019s atmosphere also removes many small objects.<\/p>\n

What comes next<\/h2>\n

Two papers examine crater shape and distant regolith modification. Monitoring must test how long the cold signature lasts and whether similarly broad effects occur around other fresh craters.<\/p>\n

Primary source and independent checks<\/h2>\n

Primary source: Science Advances paper<\/a><\/p>\n

Institutional explanation: Lunar and Planetary Institute check<\/a><\/p>\n

Independent check: UCLA thermal-analysis explanation<\/a><\/p>\n

Read in other languages<\/h2>\n

\ud55c\uad6d\uc5b4<\/a> \u00b7 English<\/a> \u00b7 Espa\u00f1ol<\/a> \u00b7 \u65e5\u672c\u8a9e<\/a> \u00b7 Ti\u1ebfng Vi\u1ec7t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data confirmed the 222 m McGetchin crater formed in spring 2024. The roughly once-in-132-years figure is a modelled average, not evidence that Earth\u2019s impact risk has increased.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"class_list":["post-2305","briefing","type-briefing","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/briefing\/2305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/briefing"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/briefing"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}