An enhanced-color image from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provides a detailed look at Stickney Crater, the largest impact site on the moon Phobos.
Key facts
- •Stickney Crater is named after Chloe Angeline Stickney Hall, the wife of astronomer Asaph Hall.
- •Asaph Hall discovered the moons of Mars in 1877.
- •The crater is over 9 kilometers in diameter, accounting for nearly half the size of Phobos.
- •The HiRISE camera captured the image from a distance of approximately 6,000 kilometers.
- •Surface grooves on Phobos may be caused by tidal stresses or the original impact event.
Stickney Crater, the largest crater on the Martian moon Phobos, is featured in an enhanced-color image captured by the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The crater is named for Chloe Angeline Stickney Hall, the wife of astronomer Asaph Hall, who discovered Phobos and Deimos in 1877. The image was recorded in March 2008 as the orbiter passed within 6,000 kilometers of the moon.
By the numbers
Crater Characteristics and Formation
Measuring over 9 kilometers across, Stickney Crater spans nearly half the diameter of Phobos. The impact that created the crater was so significant that it likely nearly shattered the small moon. Despite the moon's low surface gravity—less than 1/1000th of Earth's—evidence of loose material sliding down the crater walls is visible.
Surface Features and Mysteries
The crater rim contains light bluish regions, which may indicate a relatively fresh surface exposure. Additionally, the moon's surface features mysterious grooves. Scientists suggest these markings could be the result of tidal stresses from Phobos's close orbit or the impact event that formed the crater.
Advertisement
This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by NASA Breaking News.
