Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 18, 2026

Simulating Imaging of Large Scale Radio Arrays on the Lunar Surface
Published on: July 30, 2020
A new 222-m diameter lunar crater
Mark S Robinson1, Aaron K Boyd1, Prasun Mahanti1
1Intuitive Machines, 101 E. Jackson St., Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA.
Abstract:
Observing the aftermath of recent impact events on the Moon tests models of impact frequency, surface change rates, and cratering physics. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Wide Angle Camera (WAC; 100-meter scale) images the whole Moon each month and has done so since 2010. Comparing images from two months under similar lighting conditions enables automated detection of surface changes. In fall 2025, a routine temporal comparison of WAC image sets revealed a new 222-meter-diameter crater that formed in spring 2024. This is the largest contemporary impact crater found in the Solar System and, according to current models, a once-in-132-year event. Later, a series of LROC Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) images provided high-resolution (meter-scale) photometric and topographic information. These images show that the crater exposed complex geology, inform current models of cratering mechanics, and document widespread surface changes extending more than 1000 crater radii.
Related Concept Videos
Dimensional Analysis
Conversion Factors and Dimensional Analysis
The unit...
Eccentricity of an Ellipse
Circular Orbits and Critical Velocity for Satellites
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) first suggested that the Earth and all other planets orbit the Sun in...
Simple Harmonic Motion and Uniform Circular Motion
There is an easy way to produce simple harmonic motion by using uniform circular motion. For instance, consider a ball attached to a uniformly rotating...
Kepler's Second Law of Planetary Motion
While in an elliptical orbit, the total energy of the planet is conserved. Therefore, the planet slows down when it is at apogee and...
The Inner Mitochondrial Membrane

