Maunder Crater, Mars

This image shows the striking Maunder crater located in the region of Noachis Terra on Mars. The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on ESA’s Mars Express took pictures of this region on November 29 and December 14, 2005. Named after British astronomer Edward W. Maunder, the crater is located halfway between Argyre Planitia and Hellas Planitia on the southern Highlands of Mars. With a diameter of 90 kilometres and a depth of nearly 900 metres, the crater is not one of the largest impact craters on Mars, but it was much deeper in the past. It has since been filled partially with large amounts of material. The perspective view shown here has been calculated from the digital terrain model derived from the camera’s stereo channels.

Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
Color/contrast adjustments by regulus2007.