Ganymede: Torn Comet Crater Chain
Explanation:
This remarkable line of 13 closely spaced craters
on Jupiter's moon
Ganymede
was photographed by the Galileo spacecraft in 1997.
The picture covers an area about 120 miles wide and
the chain of craters cuts across a sharp boundary between
dark and light terrain.
What caused this crater chain?
During the
exploration of the Solar System,
crater chains like this one
have been discovered
in several places
and were considered mysterious until a
dramatic object lesson was offered by
comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
In 1994
many denizens of planet Earth
watched as huge pieces of
this torn comet
slammed into Jupiter itself in a spectacular series of
sequential impacts.
It is very likely that
similar torn comets from the early history
of the Solar System are responsible for this and
other crater chains.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
