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Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Kittu Crater, Ganymede

Kittu Crater, Ganymede
Kittu Crater, Ganymede Galileo SSI view of the dark ray crater Kittu on Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. North is to the bottom of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the left. The mosaic, centered at 0°N, 335°W, covers an area approximately 70 by 100 kilometers. The resolution of this mosaic is 145 meters per pixel. The images were taken beginning on April 5, 1997 from 6 hours, 39 minutes, 46 seconds Universal Time at a range of 14,252 kilometers. The mosaic was created by unmannedspaceflight.com user OWW. NASA / JPL / OWW

The crater shows a bright white central peak and rim, and dark brownish material surrounding it. Diffuse dark rays, sprinkled thinly atop surrounding grooved terrain, emanate from the impact site. The dark material dusted over the surface is probably part of a dark impactor (asteroid or comet) which was strewn across the surface upon impact. The impactor hit grooved terrain, and a straight segment of the crater's rim was created when a portion of the rim collapsed along the trend of an older fault.