GoKawiilNASA researchers identify unusual cold-spot crater from 2024 lunar impact
NASA-affiliated scientists have documented the largest newly formed crater on the Moon, resulting from an impact recorded in 2024. The impact site is unusual because it produced a cold spot stretching more than four miles across, a thermal signature researchers describe as extremely rare.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Studying fresh lunar impacts helps scientists refine models of how often large objects strike the Moon and Earth's vicinity, which matters for planetary defense planning. The unusual thermal signature could also reveal new details about lunar subsurface composition and impact physics that were previously not directly observable.
- A major new lunar crater from a 2024 impact has been studied by NASA-linked researchers.
- The crater created a cold spot larger than four miles across, an unusual thermal feature.
- Researchers call it a once-in-a-century event, offering rare data on lunar impact processes.
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See Celestron NexStar 130SLT Telescope on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: gizmodo.com, 2026-09-17
Published there as: “Something Crashed Into the Moon in 2024, Leaving a Curiously Cold, ‘Once in a Century’ Crater”
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