A Recent Cluster of Impacts
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
A Recent Cluster of Impacts
ESP_047768_1995  Science Theme: Impact Processes
The dark spots in this enhanced-color infrared image are the recent impact craters that occurred in the Tharsis region between 2008 and 2014. These impact craters were first discovered by the Mars Context Camera (or CTX, also onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) as a cluster of dark spots. The meteoroid that formed these craters must have broken up upon atmospheric entry and fragmented into two larger masses along with several smaller fragments, spawning at least twenty or so smaller impact craters.

The dark halos around the resulting impact craters are a combination of the light-toned dust being cleared from the impact event and the deposition of the underlying dark toned materials as crater ejecta. The distribution and the pattern of the rayed ejecta suggests that the meteoroid most-likely struck from the south (which is up in the cutout).

HiRISE frequently monitors new impact craters similar to this one; however, this is the first image of this particular impact taken by HiRISE, thanks to a request by the CTX team. Subsequent images will likely follow to monitor if there are any changes to the site from wind-blown activity or dust-deposition over time.



Written by: Arya Bina, Elise Harrington, Eric Pilles, and Livio Tornabene (audio: Tre Gibbs)  (7 February 2017)
 
Acquisition date
04 October 2016

Local Mars time
15:03

Latitude (centered)
19.283°

Longitude (East)
242.490°

Spacecraft altitude
275.9 km (171.5 miles)

Original image scale range
from 27.8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) to 55.7 cm/pixel (with 2 x 2 binning)

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel and North is up

Map projection
Equirectangular

Emission angle
7.7°

Phase angle
66.8°

Solar incidence angle
60°, with the Sun about 30° above the horizon

Solar longitude
235.3°, Northern Autumn

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  97°
Sub-solar azimuth:  326.9°
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non-map           (142MB)

IRB color
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non-map           (186MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (113MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (108MB)

RGB color
non map           (178MB)
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4K (TIFF)
8K (TIFF)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
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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

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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.