Crater Central Peak
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Crater Central Peak
ESP_045166_1690  Science Theme: Geologic Contacts/Stratigraphy
The appearance of an impact crater depends on several factors, including the material in which the crater was formed and the size of the impact itself. This image covers a rocky peak in the center of an unnamed crater, approximately 40 kilometers across.

When crater diameters on Mars exceed 5 to 8 kilometers, their shape changes from a simple, bowl-like depression to a more complex form. Rocks under the center of the crater rise as they rebound from the impact shock, lifting materials from below the surface to a peak in the center of the crater. This uplift of rocks from depth provides scientists a window into the composition of the subsurface, making crater central uplifts interesting targets for HiRISE images.

This image is the cover photo for Smithsonian Magazine’s May 2016 issue.

Written by: HiRISE Targeting Specialists  (1 May 2016)

 
Acquisition date
15 March 2016

Local Mars time
15:09

Latitude (centered)
-10.740°

Longitude (East)
5.876°

Spacecraft altitude
262.6 km (163.2 miles)

Original image scale range
26.6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~80 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
8.0°

Phase angle
62.6°

Solar incidence angle
56°, with the Sun about 34° above the horizon

Solar longitude
123.0°, Northern Summer

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  40.3°
JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (731MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (435MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (355MB)
non-map           (404MB)

IRB color
map projected  (144MB)
non-map           (340MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (179MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (170MB)

RGB color
non map           (325MB)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.