The Aporia · NASA scan discovers new, ‘once in a century’ moon crater

NASA scan discovers new, ‘once in a century’ moon crater

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The Straits Times. (2026, September 17). NASA scan discovers new, ‘once in a century’ moon crater. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/nasa-scan-discovers-new-once-in-a-century-moon-crater

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Quick Summary

A researcher at NASA discovered a recently formed crater on the Moon named McGetchin, measuring 222 meters wide, believed to have been caused by an asteroid or comet collision in spring 2024. Scientists consider impacts of this scale to be once-in-a-century events. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) detected the crater as a bright spot with a dark halo and it is noted as the largest newly discovered crater in the solar system according to a study published on September 16th. This finding aids understanding of lunar geology and prepares future crewed missions to the Moon.

Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) discovered a massive crater on the moon's near side, larger than the Roman Colosseum, measuring about 728 feet across and up to 141 feet deep, in May 2024. The impact that formed this crater was caused by an asteroid or comet fragment roughly the size of a three- to six-story building. This event is estimated to occur only once every 132 years, making it a rare opportunity for researchers studying lunar geology and future moon missions. The crater was initially missed by Earth-based telescopes but spotted later in data analysis, providing valuable insights into the moon's surface changes as NASA plans to establish a base there.

Written for “Moon Crater Discovery” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

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Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

20%

2 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Science

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articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-17 · how these are computed

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Publisher

The Straits Times · 4115 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected

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Topics

LRO Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter NASA Science Advances WASHINGTON

Subjects

NASA ORG · 5× AFP ORG · 1× China GPE · 1× McGetchin PERSON · 1× Robert Wagner PERSON · 1× Science Advances ORG · 1× WASHINGTON GPE · 1× the United States GPE · 1×

Narrative

Although the crater had been there for years, it was not discovered until Robert Wagner, a researcher with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), noticed it in a new scan of the Moon’s surface. The crater appeared as a “large bright spot circled by a dark halo” by the LRO probe, which has been studying the Moon since 2009.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-17

🔮 This in turn could better prepare future crewed missions to the moon, which are currently planned by both the United States and China.

2026-09-17 · The Straits Times

NASA scan discovers new, ‘once in a century’ moon crater · assertive framing

Claims (10 extracted, 2 hedged)

NASA scan discovers new, ‘once in a century’ moon crater AI generated asserted

scan → discover → crater

A researcher at NASA has found a massive, recently-formed crater on the moon, a rare occurrence that only happens “once in a century or even longer,” according to scientists. uncertain

that → find → scientists

The crater, dubbed “McGetchin,” measures 222m wide, NASA said in a blog post. asserted

NASA → dub → post

It is believed to have been created in the spring of 2024 from a comet or asteroid colliding with the Moon, with researchers describing the object that caused it to be the size of a building three-to-six stories high. “ asserted

it → believe → building

Scientists estimate that an impact of this magnitude happens on the Moon about once in a century or even longer,” NASA said in the blog post. asserted

NASA → estimate → post

which → discover → 2009

A study published on Sept 16 in the journal Science Advances determined it was the largest new crater ever discovered in the solar system. asserted

it → publish → system

While the moon has numerous craters, many of which are far bigger than McGetchin, researching a crater’s formation in real time can help build understanding of the Moon’s geology. asserted

researching → have → geology

This in turn could better prepare future crewed missions to the moon, which are currently planned by both the United States and China. uncertain

which → prepare → States

Unlike Earth, the moon has virtually no atmospheric layer, so space debris does not slow down or burn up before colliding with the surface. asserted

debris → have → surface