In the late spring of 2024, something significant hit the Moon. A space rock travelling at extraordinary speed, punched a crater 225 metres across into the lunar surface. That’s roughly the width of two football pitches placed end to end and thanks to NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, have been able to compare images taken before and after the impact to study the result in remarkable detail.
Read the full article by Mark Thompson on Universe Today.
Source Paper on Universities Space Research Association website.
Impact cratering is something I’m fascinated by; Both the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have found over a thousand fresh impact sites! Just a reminder how active our solar system still is!
Having a 200 meter crater suddenly appear in the middle of your Moon base would be sub-optimal. I wonder how far away a Moon base on the surface would have to be from such an impact to avoid any damage?
Cover image: Montage of LROC image of the crater, and an artist concept of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit : NASA
