Bam! Fresh Crater Spied on Mars -- and It Looks Spectacular
By Elizabeth Howell 16 hours ago Science & Astronomy
The crater is about 50 feet wide.
Mars got whacked.
A small space rock crashed into the Red Planet's surface recently, producing a fresh crater that researchers estimate is 49 feet to 53 feet (15 to 16 meters) wide.
The dramatic feature is clearly visible in a newly released image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The spacecraft has been imaging the Red Planet up close for more than 13 years using its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera and photographing larger swaths of terrain with its lower-resolution Context Camera (CTX).
A new crater on Mars, which appeared sometime between September 2016 and February 2019, shows up as a dark smudge on the landscape in this high-resolution photo.
(Image: © NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
A color image from HiRISE, posted June 6 and taken in April, shows a large black-and-blue bruise on the landscape amid an otherwise flat area of red Martian dirt.
More:
https://www.space.com/mars-fresh-crater-nasa-mro-photo-2019.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
Holding it hostage over the trade dispute.....
Plenty of fresh below-the-surface matter to analyze and possible collect. Tiny crater but lots of ejecta......
Astronomers Have Spotted a New Crater on Mars That's Like Nothing They've Ever Seen
CARLY CASSELLA 18 JUN 2019
The planet Mars does not bruise easily, but when it does, the result is practically a work of art. A fresh impact crater, spotted in April by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), is unlike anything astronomers have seen before.
Remarkable for both its size and its impact waves, the black-and-blue mark stands out like a sore thumb on the planet's red, dusty surface.
The dramatic, enhanced-colour scene shown below was captured using NASA's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera, orbiting 255 kilometres away (158 miles).
(NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)
Each year Mars is bombarded by more than 200 asteroids and comets, and while some of these leave similar dark smudges or other remarkable features, University of Arizona planetary scientist Veronica Bray told Space.com that this new crater is one of the most impressive she's seen.
More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/gorgeous-new-crater-spotted-on-the-red-planet-is-one-of-the-largest-we-ve-seen
If this asteroid strike went deep enough, maybe subsurface water was sprayed up into the atmosphere. It would have frozen rather quickly I would guess, and then came falling down as snow or ice particles.
It's really cool, whatever it is.
