What is the diameter of Stickney crater on Phobos?
Stickney crater spans 9 kilometers in diameter. It occupies a substantial portion of the small moon's landscape.
Questions about Stickney (crater)
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who was Chloe Angeline Hall Stickney and why does the crater bear her name?
Chloe Angeline Hall Stickney was a mathematician who supported her husband Asaph Hall. He credited her assistance as critical to his discovery of the moon itself, leading the International Astronomical Union to officially assign this name in 1973.
When did Stickney crater form on Phobos according to scientific theories?
Scientists propose two distinct ages for the impact depending on when Phobos began its journey around Mars. If the moon has orbited for 4.3 billion years, then Stickney formed 4.2 billion years ago, but if it started orbiting 3.5 billion years ago, the collision happened 2.6 billion years ago.
How many craters smaller than 600 meters across resulted from secondary impacts after the Stickney collision?
Most craters smaller than 600 meters across resulted from these secondary impacts. Debris ejected from the original collision traveled briefly through space before returning to the surface to create numerous smaller craters scattered across the moon.
What caused the grooves that radiate outward from Stickney like lines drawn by a compass?
One theory suggests these marks formed from stress caused by the impact. Other explanations exist regarding their origin including material ejected from impacts on Mars creating patterns or tidal forces exerted by the Red Planet shaping the grooves.
Why did Phobos survive the violent collision that created Stickney crater in 2016 research?
A study published in 2016 by Syal and colleagues found high porosity within the moon allowed it to absorb the energy without shattering. Without this porous structure, the object would have been destroyed.