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How are craters formed on the Moon NASA?

How are craters formed on the Moon NASA?

These craters formed when rocks or comets from space smashed into the surface of the Moon. The impact was so powerful that it pulverized the ground – creating what we call regolith – and sprayed it out to form those ejecta rays.

What are the craters on the Moon caused by?

These are impact craters, each of which was formed when an asteroid or comet collided with the Moon’s surface. The large number of craters in this region indicates that this part of the Moon is quite ancient. Geologic processes have not erased the craters with time.

What is the crater on the Moon called?

Lunar craters are impact craters on Earth’s Moon. The Moon’s surface has many craters, all of which were formed by impacts.

How are craters formed on Mercury?

The most common topographic features on Mercury are the craters that cover much of its surface. This may be one factor that contributes to the prominence on Mercury of secondary craters—those craters made by impact of the ejected material, as distinct from primary craters formed directly by asteroid or comet impacts.

What’s the biggest crater on the Moon?

The South Pole–Aitken basin
The South Pole–Aitken basin (SPA Basin, /ˈeɪtkɪn/) is an immense impact crater on the far side of the Moon. At roughly 2,500 km (1,600 mi) in diameter and between 6.2 and 8.2 km (3.9–5.1 mi) deep, it is one of the largest known impact craters in the Solar System.

Will Craters of the Moon erupt again?

The Craters of the Moon volcanic field will erupt again, probably within the next few centuries if the recurrence interval of about 2,000 years is sustained. It is likely that the eruption will last several years or decades and possibly several centuries.

What are the 5 largest craters on the moon?

List of largest craters in the Solar System

Body Crater Body diameter
Earth Chicxulub crater 12740 km
Luna (moon of Earth) Procellarum 3470 km
South Pole–Aitken basin
Imbrium

What is the biggest crater on Mercury?

the Caloris basin
The crater, discovered in 1974, is surrounded by the Caloris Montes, a ring of mountains approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) tall….Caloris Planitia.

Mosaic of the Caloris basin based on photographs by the MESSENGER orbiter.
Planet Mercury
Coordinates 30.5°N 189.8°WCoordinates:30.5°N 189.8°W

How are craters formed on moons or planets?

Impact craters are craters that are created when the surface of the moon or the surface of a planet (such as Earth) is impacted by a large, high-velocity, meteor or asteroid. Upon impact, these meteors and astroids leave circular indentations (ranging from a few kilometers to hundreds of kilometers in diameter) on the surface of the moon and

How were the largest craters on the Moon formed?

Moon craters formed when meteorites and asteroids slammed into the lunar surface. Like fossils on Earth, they reveal something about the history of the solar system and how planets were formed.

Which planet has craters?

It’s no surprise that the four ‘rocky’ planets of the Solar System – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars – feature their fair share of impact craters.

What are some of the causes of craters?

Craters come in two flavors: those that aren’t caused by asteroids or comets, impact craters, are formed by powerful volcanic explosions . Such outbursts can be violent enough that once the eruption is over, the volcano collapses in on its empty vacant magma chamber and forms a caldera, or volcanic crater.