7 October 2005
This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows a cluster of craters in far western Arabia Terra. The crater cluster is oriented along a line that runs nearly east-west (left-right) across the scene. Clusters of craters positioned along a line like this are secondary craters -- that is, they formed as the result of a much larger meteor, asteroid, or cometary impact somewhere else in the region. These craters do not form from the object that impacted Mars to form the larger, primary crater; these are the product of the impact of the rocks and debris thrown out by the larger impact.
Location near
: 14.9°N, 19.3°W
Image width
: width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)
Illumination from
: lower left
Season
: Northern Autumn
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Mars | |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) | |
Instrument Host | Mars Global Surveyor | |
Host Type | Orbiter | |
Instrument | Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) | |
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Asteroid, Comet, Crater, Grayscale, Impact | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2005-10-07 | |
Date in Caption | 2005-10-07 | |
Image Credit | NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03019 | |
Identifier | PIA03019 |