2026-01-11T00:11:52Z https://njump.me APOD https://njump.me/npub1ap0dw55xedm5w4mkcyq8m7xyluwfc680lywrvfe50vr9ckl5m3uqtf5l75 https://nostr.build/i/p/9c7e951c9df1a990330d926e66eccf73173c3108c1406434929b6e32d04b16a1.jpg https://nostr.build/i/p/9c7e951c9df1a990330d926e66eccf73173c3108c1406434929b6e32d04b16a1.jpg https://njump.me/nevent1qqsvde45l88h04jvee7e2nzmjk2fztha9pm4v3pnyd5xw0xl5ftk0eszyr59a46jsm9hw36hwmqsql0ccnl3e8rgalu3cd38x3asvhzm7nw8swnw6k9 **Astronomy Picture of the Day**<br/><br/>23 September 2026<br/><br/>**A New Lunar Crater: McGetchin**<br/><br/>Image: <img src="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2609/mcgetchin_after.jpg"> <br/><br/>Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/Intuitive Machines Text: Keighley Rockcliffe ( NASA GSFC , UMBC CSST , CRESST II )<br/><br/>A once-in-a-lifetime crater has appeared on the Moon! A comet or asteroid roughly the size of a humpback whale (approximately 10-20 meters, 30-60 feet) crashed into the Moon sometime between April and May of 2024. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), with its monthly monitoring of the Moon , captured today’s images of the lunar surface before and after the event. The resulting crater, named after Apollo-era lunar scientist McGetchin , is two soccer fields across. Craters of this size are only expected once every 132 years ! Follow up thermal imaging revealed a large cold spot that surrounds the warm crater. Surface impacts will puff up the loose lunar sediment, or regolith , making it less dense and harder to retain heat. This event affected an area much larger than the visible crater , which will inform humanity’s understanding of surface impacts and the evolution of the Moon’s surface. It also reminds us all to be thankful for Earth&#39;s atmosphere .<br/><br/>#APOD #LunarImpact #McGetchinCrater #MoonCrater #LunarSurface #LRO<br/><br/><a href="https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260923.html">https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260923.html</a><br/> 2026-09-23T04:05:45Z