Continuing Crater Research

[Norval]

Continuing Crater Research





Lunar Picture Of the Day
http://lpod.wikispaces.com/October+20%2C+2009

Well, it is definitely NOT a Concise Systematic Crater Chain (CSCC).
It is a remarkable image and of which I am grateful to add it to our collection of what CSCCs are NOT.
And, thank you John for the other images link.

http://www.moonposter.ie/feature.htm
http://wms.lroc.asu.edu/lroc_browse/view/M107985155LE

Just one boulder-trail shown from a selection in the latest release from LROC -- see zoomify image (the best boulder-bounce-trails can be seen where the crater slopes meet the floor).

Bottom: The same image with proposed bounce-trace of boulder (very rough). Upto 32 bounce-contacts were counted, however, as some of these contacts may just
be one contact producing a double-looking bounce contact (particularly at the end of the bounce sequence because the boulder is slowing down), the number recorded could be less.
Bottom Inset: Note how the length of the first bounce contact (touch zone length) compares to the original boulder size at rest. The speed and energy of the moving boulder is greater during the first
bounce contact, so it therefore digs in deeper producing a longer touch-zone (following touch zone lengths decrease because speed and energy are slowly being expended).
Image credit: LROC
http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/

[Norval]

New craters on Mars;

http://www.msss.com/msss_images/2009/09/24/index.html

Shown here are sub-frames of two CTX images of terrain in western Arcadia Planitia (near 46.7°N, 183.2°W). The first was taken on 4 June 2008, the second on 10 August 2008. In between the time the two images were acquired, a cluster of dark spots—and dark rays radial to some of the dark spots—were formed. The CTX team immediately considered this to be a candidate new meteor impact site, but CTX images have a resolution of 6 meters (19.7 feet) per pixel. This means that features, including impact craters, smaller than about 20–25 meters (65–82 feet) across cannot usually be resolved. Thus, most of the dark spots (like these) that the CTX team finds and suspects to be new impact craters have to be imaged at higher resolution to find out whether small impact craters are actually present.





Again, a broken up hunk of space rock just won't make a CSCC, , , ever.