Can I name a crater on Mars?
Space fans who name Martian craters for a fee will not see those monikers considered for official recognition, according to the International Astronomical Union.
How many named craters are on Mars?
Scientists have cataloged more than 500,000 craters on the Red Planet but have yet to name even a small fraction. Seeing an opportunity, Uwingu decided a good way to get names for all these holes in the ground was to ask ordinary citizens.
Who is naming places on Mars?
The names are vetted at the U.S. Geological Survey, by Ken Tanaka at the Astrogeology Science Center and USGS cartographer Jennifer Blue. Task group members get an email with the suggested names and have a couple weeks to decide. “Many times the rules are not met, but perhaps a different name can be used.
Can you name a crater on the moon?
The Apollo basin (a 540 km diameter crater on the southwestern far side) was named to honor the Apollo missions – the only crater on the Moon so designated.
What is the name of the biggest crater on Mars?
The largest impact basin on Mars is the Hellas Basin (also known as the Hellas Planitia), located in the southern hemisphere of the planet. This ancient impact crater has a diameter of 2,299.16 km (1,428 miles) and is 7.152 km (4.44 miles) deep (measured from Martian zero elevation).
Does Mars have a different name?
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, being larger than only Mercury. In English, Mars carries the name of the Roman god of war and is often called the “Red Planet”….Mars.
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Average orbital speed | 24.007 km/s (86430 km/h; 53700 mph) |
| Mean anomaly | 19.412° |
How did Mars rover perseverance get its name?
Alex Mather beat out 28,000 other kids from across the U.S. in naming the Mars rover, which is set to land Thursday. News4’s Derrick Ward talked with him about the process of finding the name and winning the competition. The rover due to set down on Mars Thursday got its name, Perseverance, from a student in Virginia.
What is crater named after?
Craters constitute 95% of all named lunar features. Usually they are named after deceased scientists and other explorers. This tradition comes from Giovanni Battista Riccioli, who started it in 1651. Since 1919, assignment of these names is regulated by the International Astronomical Union.
Who has a Moon crater named after him?
NASA’s former chief exploration scientist, Michael Wargo, has been posthumously honored with the distinction of having a lunar crater named after him. Wargo Crater is an 8.6-mile (13.8 km) diameter impact crater sitting on the northwest edge of Joule T crater, on the far side of the Moon.
What do craters on Mars tell us?
Impact craters provide insights into the age and geology of a planet’s surface. The Martian surface contains thousands of impact craters because, unlike Earth, Mars has a stable crust, low erosion rate, and no active sources of lava. So, impact craters on Mars are not obliterated as they are on Earth.