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NASA Scan Discovers New, 'Once in a Century' Moon Crater

TOPSHOT - This handout picture published on September 16, 2026 by NASA, shows a new crater on the Moon's surface, taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. (Photo by Handout / NASA / AFP)
TOPSHOT - This handout picture published on September 16, 2026 by NASA, shows a new crater on the Moon's surface, taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. (Photo by Handout / NASA / AFP)
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NASA Scan Discovers New, 'Once in a Century' Moon Crater

TOPSHOT - This handout picture published on September 16, 2026 by NASA, shows a new crater on the Moon's surface, taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. (Photo by Handout / NASA / AFP)
TOPSHOT - This handout picture published on September 16, 2026 by NASA, shows a new crater on the Moon's surface, taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. (Photo by Handout / NASA / AFP)

A researcher at NASA has found a massive, recently-formed crater on the Moon, a rare occurrence that only happens "once in a century or even longer," according to scientists.
The crater, dubbed "McGetchin," measures 730 feet (222 meters) wide, NASA said in a blog post.
It is believed to have been created in the spring of 2024 from a comet or asteroid colliding with the Moon, with researchers describing the object that caused it to be the size of a building three-to-six stories high, reported AFP.
"Scientists estimate that an impact of this magnitude happens on the Moon about once in a century or even longer," NASA said in the blog post.
Although the crater had been there for years, it was not discovered until Robert Wagner, a researcher with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), noticed it in a new scan of the Moon's surface.
The crater appeared as a "large bright spot circled by a dark halo" by the LRO probe, which has been studying the Moon since 2009.
A study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances determined it was the largest new crater ever discovered in the solar system.
While the Moon has numerous craters, many of which are far bigger than McGetchin, researching a crater's formation in real time can help build understanding of the Moon's geology.
This in turn could better prepare future crewed missions to the Moon, which are currently planned by both the United States and China.
Unlike Earth, the Moon has virtually no atmospheric layer, so space debris does not slow down or burn up before colliding with the surface.

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Indonesia Cash-for-photos Scheme Turns Animal Hunters Into Protectors

This picture taken on September 2, 2026 shows wildlife observer and former poacher Octavius using a mobile phone equipped with a telephoto lens to take pictures of wildlife in a forest near Labian village in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP)
This picture taken on September 2, 2026 shows wildlife observer and former poacher Octavius using a mobile phone equipped with a telephoto lens to take pictures of wildlife in a forest near Labian village in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP)
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Indonesia Cash-for-photos Scheme Turns Animal Hunters Into Protectors

This picture taken on September 2, 2026 shows wildlife observer and former poacher Octavius using a mobile phone equipped with a telephoto lens to take pictures of wildlife in a forest near Labian village in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP)
This picture taken on September 2, 2026 shows wildlife observer and former poacher Octavius using a mobile phone equipped with a telephoto lens to take pictures of wildlife in a forest near Labian village in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP)

Indonesian villager Octavius wades through the forest in rubber boots and tattered joggers, ears pricked, eyes peeled, a telephoto lens on his phone primed to capture orangutans, monkeys or birds.

The daily photo hunt earns Octavius and hundreds of others in Borneo cash as part of a conservation program seeking to make animals worth more alive than dead.

Locals on the island have long made money from hunting wild songbirds and selling them, mainly to domestic customers.

The KehatiKu project aims to break that cycle by paying individuals in nine participating villages in West Kalimantan province for photos or recordings of animals instead.

Payments range from 5,000 rupiah (about $0.30) for observing a common bird, to 130,000 rupiah for an endangered orangutan -- the top prize.

The most successful observers earn up to 10 million rupiah a month -- equivalent to about $570, several times an average farmworker's income.

The extra cash "really helps, especially to pay for my children's college", said 50-year-old Octavius, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.

The program, run by environmental consultancy Borneo Futures, began two years ago and produces data on wildlife distribution and population changes.

Most participants are small-scale farmers of rice, cacao, durian and the stimulant kratom.
Early signs suggest the scheme is working.

"People have started to realize that where previously they caught one bird and it was worth 50,000 rupiah, now they just need to take a photo, send it to us, and they can receive a payment of 5,000 to 10,000 rupiah," Borneo Futures Indonesia director Nardiyono told AFP.

"If they take just five photos, they (may) earn 50,000 rupiah, and the bird is still in their environment, still observable, and still able to reproduce, so the potential income from observing birds is far greater than from hunting birds."

That shifting logic has prompted two participating villages to voluntarily introduce hunting bans since the project started, added Nardiyono.

The program is funded by philanthropic foundations and has received about $300,000 to date, according to Borneo Futures.

Half has gone towards development, including a mobile app for uploading animal sightings and an AI system that helps humans verify observations.

So far, users have submitted over 350,000 observations, about half of which have been validated and paid for.

Invalid entries might include multiple observations of the same animal, or a species that is not on the program's list.

In September, Octavius and dozens of others gathered at the tiny office in Labian village -- population 683 -- for their monthly payments.

His share was four million rupiah, or nearly $230.

"This is a side-job; it doesn't interfere" with farming, he told AFP as he showed off a patch where he grows kratom and cacao.

"Sometimes when we're working, when everyone is gathered to collect kratom leaves, we hear birds calling, so we go over, observe them -- if we can take a photo, we take a photo; if not, we just make a sound recording."

The program's model is "likely better for both environmental and social impacts than an unincentivized, top-down conservation project design," said researcher Paul Ferraro of the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The main challenge will be maintaining funding, he added.

"People may revert to their prior behavioral patterns because the incentive payments are insufficient when the enthusiasm has waned," said Ferraro, an expert in human behavior and public policy.

For now, Borneo Futures has funding secured through 2028, and two more villages will join next month.

It pays for observations of 73 species, including birds, monkeys, wild cats and deer.

Antonia Uneng says she never has to venture too far from her home in Sungai Ajung, a village of fewer than 400 people, for observations.

She bought her first fridge with her earnings, as well as a karaoke machine, complete with flashing lights and two microphones, that occupies pride of place in her living room.

The project has given women in the village a sense of independence, said the 36-year-old part-time nursing assistant, whose husband works abroad.

"I have my own income... so I am not dependent on my husband."

Imelda, a farmer in Labian, goes into the forest daily with friends to record bird sounds and, if they are lucky, orangutans.

"It makes us healthier, walking in the forest," said the 72-year-old.

In the past, some in the community considered wild boar and deer pests for damaging their gardens and crops, she said.

But now, "we really, really want to protect them".

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Humpback Whale Apparently Grieves Stillborn Calf in Rare Footage

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) swim in the Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia State, Brazil on August 18, 2026. (Photo by Evaristo Sa / AFP)
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) swim in the Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia State, Brazil on August 18, 2026. (Photo by Evaristo Sa / AFP)
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Humpback Whale Apparently Grieves Stillborn Calf in Rare Footage

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) swim in the Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia State, Brazil on August 18, 2026. (Photo by Evaristo Sa / AFP)
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) swim in the Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia State, Brazil on August 18, 2026. (Photo by Evaristo Sa / AFP)

A female humpback whale has been documented apparently grieving a stillborn calf in new research released Thursday offering rare insights into the complex emotions of the sea-dwelling mammals.

The footage, taken off Australia's Gold Coast last year, shows a female humpback whale staying close to the dead calf as it lies motionless on the sea floor.

Accompanied by a companion, the whale holds eye contact with the animal, touching it with its head and fin.

"At first sight, I thought it was just two whales resting on the surface, but their behavior was unusual," said Andrew Mulville from Sea World Foundation, who witnessed the heart-wrenching moment.

"It was definitely not what I was expecting to see out at sea that day."

Researchers said the whale had stayed with the deceased animal for "several hours and possibly even days".

"It's really sad," Olaf Meynecke of Griffith University's Whales and Climate Research Program told AFP.

"It's pretty heartbreaking to watch this female making continuous contact with the deceased calf."

A number of other deceased whale calves were observed in the area at the time, the researchers said.

The whale did not try and bring the calf to the surface, suggesting "she might have been aware that it was dead shortly after giving birth", they said.

Researchers said the whale's actions "may represent a form of grief-related behavior in humpback whales".

Meynecke said his research spoke to the "strong bond" between mother and calf and the emotional stages that "socially complex" mammals go through following the deaths of their offspring or companions.

Whales are far from the first non-human mammals to have been observed engaging in complex grieving rituals, he said.

"We're seeing this from elephants and apes and cases like that that are also extremely heartbreaking," Meynecke said.

"But on land we witness this more often, whereas at sea it's really rare to document something like this."

Varieties

Satellites Show Earth Lost More Than 12 Trillion Tons of Ice from Greenland, Antarctica in 47 Years

Two groups from the Poseidon Expeditions tour company look at a glacier in the Scoresby Sund, Sept. 7, 2023, in Greenland. (AP)
Two groups from the Poseidon Expeditions tour company look at a glacier in the Scoresby Sund, Sept. 7, 2023, in Greenland. (AP)
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Satellites Show Earth Lost More Than 12 Trillion Tons of Ice from Greenland, Antarctica in 47 Years

Two groups from the Poseidon Expeditions tour company look at a glacier in the Scoresby Sund, Sept. 7, 2023, in Greenland. (AP)
Two groups from the Poseidon Expeditions tour company look at a glacier in the Scoresby Sund, Sept. 7, 2023, in Greenland. (AP)

About 12.5 trillion tons (11.3 trillion metric tons) of ice from glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica have melted since 1979, which is enough frozen water to stack ice five feet deep across the continental United States, according to a major scientific report.

A warming Earth is accelerating the melting of the planet's two major ice sheets, with five-sixths of the melt not coming from hotter air, but from warmer waters eating away at the ice sheets from below and the sides, with glaciers flowing into the oceans, according to a study in Wednesday's journal Scientific Data. That's bad news for future sea level rise, the study's authors said.

“The ice sheets are melting away fast,” said study co-author Eric Rignot, an ice scientist at University of California, Irvine. “We are melting the polar regions, sea level is rising worldwide and will exacerbate the vulnerability of coastal regions.”

Huge numbers for ice melt, people flooded

The numbers behind the melt are both mind-bogglingly huge and deceptively small.

All that melted ice turned into nearly 3 quadrillion gallons of water (11.3 quadrillion liters), which pushed global sea levels up about an inch (3.1 centimeters) since 1979, on top of other climate factors raising ocean heights, the report said.

An inch may not sound like much, but for every third of an inch (or centimeter) of sea level rise, another 2 to 3 million people get flooded at least once a year, said lead study author Ines Otosaka, an ice scientist at Northumbria University in England.

The Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland is now retreating up to 164 feet (50 meters) a day, Otosaka said.

The international collaboration of polar scientists, headed by the European Space Agency, had in the past only looked at ice sheet melt since the 1990s based on European satellite data. But by incorporating NASA satellites, the scientists were able to chart ice sheet volumes in Antarctica back to 1979 and in Greenland back to 1972.

The melting is accelerating

“There is a clear trend that the ice sheets are losing more mass and it has been increasing from decade to decade, especially if you look at the ice being discharged to the ocean," Otosaka said. "And that’s quite clear that there’s a link to climate change.”

It showed that in the 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s, the ice sheets were relatively stable, but then melt started happening and it really kicked in during the 2010s, Otosaka said.

“That’s something to be concerned about as it shows that the changes are tracking decades behind global warming, which means we can expect them to continue for decades more — even if we are able to stop heating the planet,” said study co-author Andrew Shepherd, also of Northumbria.

The accelerating numbers seemed to pause from 2020 to 2023, but the study's authors said it more reflected short-term weather variations not long-term trends. Otosaka said the study stopped with 2023 data, but she's looked at measurements since and found the accelerating trend has picked back up.

A lot of the stability in Antarctica was because East Antarctica had record snowfall, which compensated for the rapid melting in the less stable West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the authors said.

The three-year hiatus was “just a bump in the record,” Rignot said. “The long rise is climate and the threat is crystal clear.”

Worrying about a collapse scenario

The biggest changes scientists saw are in what they call dynamic processes, which are more abrupt and active than the slow steady melting from the air, and that's something prone to trigger runaway “tipping points,” Otosaka said.

New York University ice scientist David Holland, said that's what concerns him “because most of the ice loss is dynamical and that is exactly what you would expect in an ice sheet instability collapse scenario.”

The international team used 45 independent surveys and 27 different satellites. “The use of relatively independent methods gives me greater confidence in the result,” said Holland, who wasn't part of the study. “The upward trend is real.”

“The ‘wild cards’ of Antarctic mass loss continue to pose a challenge for human management of the planet — a clear and present danger, but many decades in the future,” said University of Colorado ice scientist Ted Scambos, who wasn't part of the study. “We are now as a society smart enough to know the future, but not prudent enough to act upon the knowledge.”