Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

A New Lunar Crater: McGetchin

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for September 23, 2026 is “A New Lunar Crater: McGetchin,” an image. It is credited to NASA/GSFC/Intuitive Machines. The original explanation runs about 174 words.

An image of the lunar surface with a large depression at the center surrounded by raised ridges that slope down back to the surface.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Intuitive Machines Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“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.”

— APOD editors, September 23, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
September 23, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Intuitive Machines
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 174 words

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Topics in this entry

The MoonCometsAsteroids

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: September 23 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.