San Francisco (Web Desk) A NASA space mission has discovered an unusual and vast crater on the Moon that is larger than the Colosseum in Rome. Experts say the crater was formed nearly two years ago as a result of a powerful space impact, but the event could not be directly recorded at the time.
According to a US news agency, the crater is approximately 728 feet wide and 141 feet deep, and it is being described as the largest crater formed in the solar system in recent times.
Experts say an impact of this magnitude occurs on average once every 132 years, making the discovery particularly significant, especially as NASA is planning to establish a new base for astronauts on the Moon.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter observed the crater on the near side of the Moon in May 2024. According to experts, it was created when a meteorite or a fragment of a comet struck the Moon, while telescopes on Earth or in space were unable to directly observe the impact.
The initial images remained hidden in data available until August 2025. More detailed images were obtained later, and the discovery was confirmed at the beginning of the current year. The crater has been named after former astronomer Thomas Megchun and is three times larger than the previous record-holder crater discovered nearly a decade ago.
The impact affected the Moon’s surface across an area of approximately 100 kilometers, while soil and rocks were thrown farther and at a greater angle than expected. Another study also discovered a cold area around the crater measuring approximately 7 kilometers in width, which experts describe as a sign of loosening of the surface soil. They compared this process to digging and turning over soil in gardening.