Butterfly Ejecta

Scaled Image

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/ASU

About this image

In the heavily cratered southern highlands of Mars, the type of crater seen in this THEMIS visible image is relatively rare. Elliptical craters with 'butterfly' ejecta patterns make up roughly 5% of the total crater population of Mars. They are caused by impactors which hit the surface at oblique, or very shallow angles. Similar craters are also seen in about the same abundance on the Moon and Venus.

Please see the THEMIS Data Citation Note for details on crediting THEMIS images. 

Context

Image ID: 
V07252002 (View data in Mars Image Explorer)
-24.5609
41.0494
7252
2003-08-03 05:20
Thu, 2003-09-04
VIS
1024 pixels (17 km)
3648 pixels (63 km)
0.017306 km/pixel
0.017432 km/pixel

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