As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Nature, the more than 1,200-mile crater appears to have been the result of a glancing, southward blow - and not a head-on asteroid impact, as previously thought. The findings could help explain why the Moon's far side is riddled with large craters, while the more explored near side is relatively smooth. And they could also have "important implications for the upcoming human exploration of the lunar south pole" by NASA's Artemis program, the researchers wrote.