Denning (Martian crater)
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Quadrangle map of Sinus Sabaeus labeled with major features. Colored rectangles represent image footprints of Mars Global Surveyor. | |
| Planet | Mars |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 17°42′S 326°36′W / 17.7°S 326.6°WCoordinates: 17°42′S 326°36′W / 17.7°S 326.6°W |
| Diameter | 165 km |
| Eponym | William F. Denning, a British astronomer (1848-1931) |
Denning Crater is a crater in the Sinus Sabaeus quadrangle of Mars at 17.7° south latitude and 326.6° west longitude. It is about 165 km in diameter and was named after William F. Denning, a British astronomer (1848–1931).[1]
Craters
When a comet or asteroid collides at a high rate of speed interplanetary with the surface of Mars it creates a primary impact crater. The primary impact may also eject significant numbers of rocks which eventually fall back to make secondary craters.[2] The secondary craters may be in clusters. All of the craters in the cluster would appear to be equally eroded; hence they would all seem to be of the same age. If these secondary craters formed from a single, large, nearby impact, then they would have formed at roughly the same instant in time. The image below of Dennin Crater shows a cluster of secondary craters.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Denning (Martian crater). |
- ↑ "Planetary Names: Welcome". Planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
- ↑ "HiRISE | Science Themes: Impact Processes". Hirise.lpl.arizona.edu. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
