Rayleigh (Martian crater)
Rayleigh Crater is an impact crater in the Mare Australe quadrangle of Mars, located at 75.6°S latitude and 240.9°W longitude. It is 148.7 km in diameter and was named after Lord Rayleigh, and the name was approved in 1973 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN).[1] The pictures show layered features. These features may have resulted from the erosion of layers of mantle.
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Rayleigh (Martian crater), as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter).
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Layers in Rayleigh crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image of Rayleigh crater.
Why craters are important
The density of impact craters is used to determine the surface ages of Mars and other solar system bodies.[2] The older the surface, the more craters present. Crater shapes can reveal the presence of ground ice.
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/slidesets/stones/
