Study Findings: New Lunar Crater Reveals Extensive Distal Regolith Modification

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Image (Credit): A zoomed-in view of McGetchin crater, circled on the left, next to a “before” image on the right. (NASA Goddard/Intuitive Machines/Robert Wagner)

Sciences Advances abstract of study findings:

A new ∼222-meter-diameter impact crater formed on the Moon in spring 2024. Discovered in repeat Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera images, it provides a unique opportunity to study surface modification by a pristine impact, prior to subsequent fading. Nighttime temperatures measured by the Diviner instrument reveal an ∼7-kilometer-wide cold spot that is 8 to 9 kelvin cooler than its surroundings, consistent with decompaction of the upper centimeters to decimeters of regolith. We investigate all newly formed craters >20 meters identified to date and find that all craters larger than ∼30 meters produce detectable cold spots, indicating that cold spot formation is a common consequence of fresh lunar impacts. Cold spot temperature anomaly increases with crater size, implying deeper regolith modification around larger craters. This scaling suggests that the cumulative effect of cold spot formation may modify the shallow regolith at rates comparable to impact gardening by primary craters, making them a substantial driver of regolith evolution on regolith-covered airless bodies.

Citation: T. M. Powell, B. T. Greenhagen, T. Horvath, et al. New lunar crater reveals extensive distal regolith modification. Science Advances, Vol 12, Issue 38 (2026).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeh9568

Study-related stories:

Discover Magazine – “Newly Discovered ‘Once-in-a-Century’ Moon Crater Larger Than Two Football Field”

Phys.org – “NASA Spacecraft Discovers a Huge New Crater on the Moon”

CNN – “Lunar Orbiter Spots ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’ New Crater on the Moon”

Space Stories: Russian Supplies Arrive at ISS, Youngest Exoplanet Detected, and Greater European Flexibility in Space

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Image (Credit): Sections of the International Space Station. (Russianspaceweb.com)

Here are some recent space-related stories of interest.

—Spaceflight Now: “Russian Progress cargo ship arrives at International Space Station”

An unpiloted Russian Progress cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station Saturday carrying supplies and equipment for the orbiting outpost. The Progress M-25 docked at the space-facing port of Russia’s Poisk module at 9:44 a.m. EDT (1344 UTC). It circled the station before making its final approach using the automated Kurs rendezvous system. Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina were standing by to take manual control of the approach using remote controls, but everything went smoothly as the craft closed in, 260 miles above the Black Sea. A series of hooks inside the docking mechanism were driven closed to complete the docking operation.

—Science Daily: “Astronomers Just Found the Youngest Known Planet Ever“

Astronomers have confirmed the youngest known planet yet, a world less than 1 million years old that is still surrounded by the gas and dust from which it formed. The planet, called Elias 2-24 b, was identified using observations preserved in NASA-funded archives. It is still orbiting within its young star’s dusty disk, giving scientists a rare opportunity to study planet formation while it is still happening.

—Radio France Internationale: “Europe Weighs the Cost of Sending Its Own Astronauts into Space“

French President Emmanuel Macron wants Europe to develop its own way of sending astronauts into space within a decade. Europe already builds rockets and satellites and sends astronauts to the International Space Station – but it still relies on American spacecraft to get them there. As the global space sector expands, the question is whether Europe should invest in closing that gap, and what it would take to do so.

Note: Here is the podcast version of this post.

Pic of the Week: The Black Eye Galaxy

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Image (Credit): Composite image of Messier 64 (M64) from the JWST and the Hubble Space Telescope. (NASA, CSA, ESA, F. Belfiore (ESO), J. Lee (STScI), A. Leroy (OSU), and D. Thilker (JHU); Image Processing: G. Kober (NASA/Catholic University))

This week’s image is from NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day. It is a composite image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Hubble Space Telescope showing Messier 64 (M64), which is a spiral galaxy about 17 million light-years away.

Here is a little more information from NASA explaining what you are seeing here:

Sometimes where Hubble finds darkness, Webb sees light. An example is today’s composite images of Messier 64 (M64), a nearby spiral galaxy of many names. The dark band of dust partially blocking its bright core earned it the moniker “the Black Eye Galaxy.” Webb’s Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) sees that dust, shown in red, as it absorbs and re-emits light from surrounding newborn stars. These young stars are embedded in pink star-forming regions in the secondary Hubble-only image. M64’s inner and outer gas regions counter-rotate, creating regions of increased star formation where the two gas “currents” meet and compress. A merger between M64 and a smaller galaxy was likely the cause of the opposing motion of the outer gas. Spiral galaxies were once thought to have peaceful histories. M64 was key evidence that spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way, can and do experience mergers. Webb’s view of M64 will tell astronomers about the structure, motion, and composition of the galaxy’s dust and add context to the galaxy’s merger history and evolution.

Space Quote: Yanks Yank Venus Support from Europeans

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“At the moment, we are finalizing our agreement with NASA, but it is looking like they are not able to provide the radar…So that is why we are going full steam ahead with the European solution.”

–Statement by Anne Grete Straume-Lindner, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) project scientist for the Venus mission called Envision, regarding expected cuts in NASA support for the planned Venus mapping mission. Proposed NASA cuts may also impact other ESA missions, including the New Athena observatory, which would take over for NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory (also continually on the chopping block) and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) observatory designed to study gravitational waves.

Artemis II: And Then There Was One

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Image (Credit): The Artemis II crew with (from left) NASA Astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen. (NASA)

Four astronauts circled the Moon earlier this year, more than 50 years after the final lunar landing, but only one of them will remain an astronaut going forward. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen (age 50), who served as mission specialist on the Moon mission, retired from his position with the Canadian Space Agency in July. And now we learn that NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman (age 50), who served as commander on the mission, and Victor Glover (age 50), who served as pilot, have also announced their plans to depart as well.

Either there is something in the water, or age 50 is a good time to step away from an astronaut gig.

Hansen said he was pursuing new professional opportunities, Glover said he has a new job at California Polytechnic State University, and Wiseman provided no additional information. However, both Glover and Wiseman will transition to emeritus status. It is not clear if that is just a thank you role that gives them a discount at the agency cafe, or will entail some real duties.

NASA defines the emeritus role this way:

In an emeritus role, individuals with a high degree of technical and professional knowledge can continue to support the agency by donating their time to train and mentor the current workforce. This allows the agency to maintain access to top talent in a specialized consultant role, while simultaneously providing the individual with the flexibility to pursue other opportunities.

That leaves one Artemis II astronaut still standing – Christina Koch (age 47).

Back in August, all four were awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor at Houston’s Johnson Space Center. It is just unfortunate the they are leaving at a time that a lunar program is starting to grow.

All we can do is wish them well in their post-astronaut careers. They have plenty of stories that will hopefully encourage a new generation of astronauts.

Note: I want to make it clear that NASA astronauts do not need to retire at a certain age. For example, NASA astronaut Don Pettit was heading back to Earth from his latest space mission on his 70th birthday.