Top-Down Comparative Overlay
(Drag to inspect, scroll to zoom)
Lunar Crater Diam:
210.0 m
Comparison Target:
Roman Colosseum (188.0 m)
Scale Ratio:
1.12x
Impact Kinetic Energy:
1.85 Mt TNT
Visualization Tip: Drag the lunar crater overlay over the structure footprint to visually grasp the magnitude of the impact.
Resolution: 1 px ≈ 0.5 m
NBC News (@NBCNews)
• Sep 16, 2026
“The crater, which is bigger than the Roman Colosseum, is the result of a powerful impact two years ago.”
★ NASA spacecraft discovers a huge new crater on the moon
Scale & Size Analysis
computed_and_scaled
Crater to Landmark Ratio
1.12
Crater is 12% wider
Impact Energy (Mt TNT)
1.85
≈ 123x Hiroshima bomb
Crater Diameter
210.0 m
Depth ≈ 42.0 m
Impactor Est. Size
6.8 m
Velocity: 18.0 km/s
Select Landmark Silhouette
Roman Colosseum
188m × 156m ellipse
Camp Nou Stadium
220m × 180m footprint
Great Pyramid base
230.3m square base
Manhattan City Block
80m × 200m perimeter
Impact Physics Modeling
Observed Crater Diameter
210 m
Impact Velocity (km/s)
18.0 km/s
Impact Angle (° from horizontal)
45°
Calculation utilizes standard Pi-group lunar crater scaling relationships (Holsapple & Schmidt / Melosh) for impacts into basaltic lunar regolith.
Scientific Evidence & References:
NBC News Moon Crater Discovery Report • NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Telemetry • Lunar Regolith Impact Scaling Laws.