Pwyll Impact Crater Date: 12.16.1997 This computer-generated view of the Pwyll impact crater on Jupiter's moon Europa was created using images taken by the Galileo spacecraft's camera when the spacecraft flew past that moon on February 20 and December 16, 1997, during its sixth and twelfth orbits of Jupiter. Images of the crater taken from different angles on the different orbits have been combined to generate a model of the topography of Pwyll and its surroundings.
This simulated view is from the southwest at a 450 angle, with the vertical exaggerated four times the natural size. The colors represent different elevation levels with blue being the lowest and red the highest. Pwyll, about 26 kilometers across, is unusual among craters in the solar system, because its floor is at about the same elevation as the surrounding terrain. Moreover, its central peak, standing approximately 600 meters above the floor, is much higher than its rim. This may indicate that the crater was modified shortly after its formation by the flow of underlying warm ice.
Image Credit: Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft-und Raumfahrt (DLR)
