An ancient 160-km-wide crater has been discovered on the moon by Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan rover

The Pragyan rover from India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission has made a remarkable discovery in the Moon’s south polar region, uncovering an ancient crater. Following its successful landing in 2023, the mission has continued to yield significant findings.

The rover identified a buried crater measuring approximately 160 kilometers in diameter, located near its landing site. This discovery has been documented in a recent publication in Science Direct by researchers from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad.

This notable find took place as Pragyan explored the highland terrain roughly 350 kilometers from the South Pole-Aitken basin, which is recognized as the largest and oldest impact basin on the lunar surface. The crater is believed to have originated before the formation of the South Pole-Aitken basin, marking it as one of the Moon’s oldest geological features. Its age has led to significant burial by debris from subsequent impacts, particularly those associated with the South Pole-Aitken event, resulting in its degradation over time.

Using high-resolution optical and navigation cameras, the Pragyan rover captured images that revealed the structure of this ancient crater, providing crucial insights into the Moon’s geological past. The discovery offers scientists a unique opportunity to study deeply buried lunar materials that date back to some of the Moon’s earliest impacts.

The South Pole-Aitken basin contributed approximately 1,400 meters of debris, with additional material from smaller craters and basins adding hundreds of meters to the lunar landscape. This ancient regolith, a layer of dust and rock on the Moon’s surface, is essential for understanding the Moon’s formation and evolution.

The findings from the Pragyan rover, including the identification of the crater, have generated excitement among scientists globally. The data collected from this ancient and heavily cratered area could significantly enhance our understanding of the Moon’s early history and the development of its distinctive terrain.