Spider_crater_on_planet_mercury.jpg


Summary

Description
English: Spider crater ( Apollodorus ) on Planet Mercury. The Narrow Angle Camera of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) on the MESSENGER spacecraft obtained high-resolution images of the floor of the Caloris basin on January 14, 2008. Near the center of the basin, an area unseen by Mariner 10, this remarkable feature – nicknamed “ the spider ” by the science team – was revealed. A set of troughs radiates outward in a geometry unlike anything seen by Mariner 10. The radial troughs are interpreted to be the result of extension (breaking apart) of the floor materials that filled the Caloris basin after its formation. Other troughs near the center form a polygonal pattern. This type of polygonal pattern of troughs is also seen along the interior margin of the Caloris basin. An impact crater about 40 km (~25 miles) in diameter appears to be centered on “the spider.” The straight-line segments of the crater walls may have been influenced by preexisting extensional troughs, but some of the troughs may have formed at the time that the crater was excavated. (Original text from NASA )
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Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons.

Primary source: “The Spider” – Radial Troughs within Caloris ; see also a page on APOD
Author NASA; original uploader was Dino at en.wikipedia
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( Reusing this file )
Public domain This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA . NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted ". (See Template:PD-USGov , NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy .)
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Licensing

Public domain This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA . NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted ". (See Template:PD-USGov , NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy .)
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Original upload log

The original description page was here . All following user names refer to en.wikipedia.
  • 2008-02-04 16:54 Dino 3000×2025× (3476205 bytes) {{Information |Description= |Source= |Date= |Location= |Author= |Permission= |other_versions= }}

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14 January 2008

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