[meteorite-list] Crater Studies on Titan

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Sep 15 12:53:45 2006
Message-ID: <200609151653.JAA22570_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2261

Crater Studies on Titan
September 12, 2006

Full-Res: PIA08737
<http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08737>

This image from Cassini's radar instrument shows an impact crater with a
diameter of 30 kilometers (19 miles) on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan.

Cassini data have only revealed three definite impact craters on Titan
so far, so each new discovery adds significantly to our body of
knowledge. Impact craters are particularly important, as their shapes
give scientists insight into the structure of the crust beneath Titan's
surface. The difference in overall appearance between this crater, which
has a central peak, and those without, such as Sinlap, (See Impact
Crater with Ejecta Blanket
<http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=1381>),
indicates variations in the conditions of impact, thickness of the
crust, or properties of the meteorite that made the crater. The dark
floor indicates smooth or highly absorbing materials.

This image was acquired by the Cassini radar instrument in synthetic
aperture mode during a Sept. 7, 2006, flyby of Titan. The image is
centered at 70 degrees west longitude, 10 degrees north latitude, and
measures about 150 kilometers high by 190 kilometers wide (93 by 118
miles). The smallest details in this image are about 500 meters (about
550 yards) across.

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the
European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in
Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate,
Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were
designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center
is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at
http://ciclops.org .

Credit: NASA/JPL
Received on Fri 15 Sep 2006 12:53:40 PM PDT