Nasa finds ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ moon crater bigger than the Roman Colosseum

The steep-sided hole — about 728 feet (222 meters) across and up to 141 feet (43 meters) deep — is the result of a powerful impact two years ago that initially went undetected (Picture: Nasa/Goddard Space Flight Center)

Scientists have discovered a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ crater on the moon that is bigger than the Roman Colosseum.

The steep-sided hole — about 728 feet (222 meters) across and up to 141 feet (43 meters) deep — is the result of a powerful impact two years ago that initially went undetected.

It is the solar system’s biggest known impact crater carved out in recent times, with such a large-scale event only estimated to happen once every 132 years, researchers said.

‘This event constitutes a statistically rare, effectively once-in-a-lifetime observation,’ the scientists wrote in one of two studies appearing on the subject in the journal Science Advances.

Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spotted the crater on the moon’s near side in May 2024, soon after it was formed by an incoming fragment of an asteroid or comet.

The moon strike escaped real-time detection by telescopes on Earth and in space.

Researchers said it could yield a treasure trove of information as Nasa prepares to build a base for astronauts on the moon.

Such a large-scale event is estimated to occur only once every 132 years, researchers said (Picture: Nasa/AFP via Getty Images)

The crater — named for the late Thomas McGetchin, a former director of Houston’s Lunar and Planetary Institute — is three times bigger than the previous record-holder found by the LRO a decade ago.

Pockmarked since ancient times, the moon bears some of the solar system’s largest impact craters, including one that stretches more than 1,500 miles across. This latest impact churned the lunar surface for nearly 70 miles.

The LRO’s numerous crater discoveries since its launch in 2009 suggest the moon’s top inch of soil is being overturned by ejected material every 80,000 years, faster than previously thought, the team said.

In an email, Mark Robinson, chief scientist for the LRO’s cameras, said contrary to the popular belief that the Apollo moonwalkers’ dusty lunar footprints will last forever, they will ‘definitely be long gone in that time frame’.

The next step is to calculate the risk of ejected crater material striking Nasa’s planned moon base, he added.

‘That information will help engineers harden structures so one won’t have to worry about damage, or maybe worry less,’ he said.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Comments Add as preferred source

from Metro https://ift.tt/qsDJpA4