NASA has reported a lunar crater 728 feet wide, but the collision that created it happened more than two years ago.
In its September 16 account, NASA places the impact between April 11 and May 22, 2024. The crater, named McGetchin, is about 141 feet deep.
How the dates fit together
Scientist Robert Wagner spotted the feature on October 24, 2025, while comparing maps made from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter images. Closer observations followed.
The sequence matters: the impact occurred in 2024, the feature was identified in 2025, and NASA described the findings in 2026.
Thermal measurements also revealed a cold region about four miles across. Disturbed surface material retains less heat, showing that the collision changed ground well beyond the crater’s rim.
What “once in a century” means
NASA says an impact this large is estimated to occur roughly once a century or less often. That is a frequency estimate, not a timetable for the next strike.
These are separate stages, rather than evidence of a new collision this week.