"Butterfly" Crater

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/ASU

About this image

The ejecta pattern around this northern plains crater is termed "butterfly" for it's similarity to butterfly wings. This type of ejecta pattern is common for oblique impacts. In this IR image the ejecta appears bright. This is because the rock ejecta is warmer than the surrounding dust covered plains.

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