Asteroid-Carved Moon Canyons Deeper Than Grand Canyon

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An asteroid impacting the planet 3.8 billion years ago carved two massive canyons on the Moon's far side near its south pole.

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These valleys - Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck stretch 270 kilometres (about 168 miles) with depths of 2.7 and 3.5 kilometres respectively.

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The discovery centres on the Schrödinger impact basin, where a 1500-mile-wide asteroid struck with energy equivalent to 130 times Earth's current nuclear arsenal.

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The discovery demonstrates how a single cosmic collision transformed the lunar landscape in minutes.

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This led to the creation of enduring features that help scientists understand the violent events that shaped our cosmic neighborhood.

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NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter revealed straight-line features radiating from the impact site, showing the path of ejected fragments that were up to 3.2 miles wide.

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These canyons hold special significance for NASA's Artemis III mission, which plans missions to the lunar south pole.

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