Moon exploration highlighted during International Observe the Moon Night

The annual International Observe the Moon Night is being celebrated to unite global observers in a celebration of lunar science and exploration. The event, supported by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, aims to raise awareness of lunar programs and provide a platform for sharing moon-inspired science and art.

Recent lunar developments include the Artemis II mission and the declaration of plans for a Moon Base. Scientific research has also provided new insights into the moon’s origins, supporting the Giant Impact hypothesis. This theory suggests that approximately 4.5 billion years ago, a Mars-sized body named Theia collided with Earth, ejecting rocky debris that eventually aggregated into the moon. New computer simulations indicate this formation process may have occurred within just five hours of the impact.

Additionally, NASA and the Universities Space Research Association reported the creation of a new crater, officially named McGetchin. The crater was formed between April 11 and May 22, 2024, after a comet or asteroid roughly the size of a three-to-six-story building struck the lunar surface.