A flood of impact melt swept away from the rim of Necho crater. NAC image M119041553; scene width is 540 meters, or 1771 feet.
Large impacts are catastrophic events for the local area. Besides the huge craters they leave behind (this one is 30 kilometers, or 19 miles, across), impacts heat portions of the crust to such high temperatures that rocks melt and flow like lava, as seen in today's featured image. These melts run downhill, cool and solidify, leaving behind beautiful flow features also highlighted in several past featured images.
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Moon | |
System | Earth | |
Target Type | Satellite | |
Mission | Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) | |
Instrument Host | Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter | |
Host Type | Orbiter | |
Instrument | Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (NAC) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Crater, Grayscale, Impact | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2010-07-29 | |
Date in Caption | ||
Image Credit | NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13503 | |
Identifier | PIA13503 |