This image shows a crater, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) in
diameter, on the very eastern end of the radar image strip taken by the
Cassini orbiter on its third close flyby of Titan on Feb. 15.
The appearance of the crater and the extremely bright (hence rough)
blanket of material surrounding it is indicative of an origin by impact,
in which a hypervelocity comet or asteroid, in this case, roughly 5-10
kilometers (3-6 miles) in size, slammed into the surface of Titan.
The bright surrounding blanket is debris, or ejecta, thrown out of the
crater. The asymmetric appearance of this ejecta blanket could be an
effect of atmospheric winds associated with the impact itself. Although
clearly formed by impact, the feature lacks a central peak, suggesting
that it has been eroded or otherwise modified after formation. Rainfall,
wind erosion, and softening of the solid material in which the crater
formed are all possible processes that might have altered this impact
feature.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the
European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in
Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission
Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard
cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar
instrument team is based at JPL, working with team members from the
United States and several European countries.
For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov.
