NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter helped uncover a 728-foot-wide crater that formed on the Moon in 2024 after a rare, powerful impact.

What began as a routine check of lunar mapping data quickly turned into an unexpected discovery. Robert Wagner, a scientist working with NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), was examining a large map of the Moon when one feature immediately stood out: an unusually bright patch surrounded by a dark halo.

The pattern suggested that material on the lunar surface had recently been disturbed.