Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
Rheasilvia
 Southern hemisphere of Vesta as imaged by Dawn, showing Rheasilvia crater | |
| Location | South polar region, Vesta |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 71°57′S 86°18′E / 71.950°S 86.300°E[1] |
| Diameter | 505 km (314 mi) |
| Peak | 20–25 km (12–16 mi) (central peak)[2][3] |
| Discoverer | Hubble Space Telescope |
| Eponym | Rhea Silvia, a mythological vestal virgin and mother of the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus |
Rheasilvia /ˌriːəˈsɪlviə/ is the largest impact crater on the asteroid Vesta. It is 505 km (314 mi) in diameter, which is 90% the diameter of Vesta itself, and is 95% the mean diameter of Vesta, 529 km (329 mi). However, the mean is affected by the crater itself. It is 89% the mean equatorial diameter of 569 km (354 mi), making it one of the largest craters in the Solar System, and at 75°S latitude, covers most of the southern hemisphere. The peak in the center of the crater is 200 km (120 mi) in diameter, and rises 22.5 km (14.0 mi; 74,000 ft) from its base,[3][2] making it one of the tallest mountains known in the Solar System.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
gpnwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Vega, Priscilla (11 October 2011). "New View of Vesta Mountain From NASA's Dawn Mission". dawn.jpl.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ^ a b Schenk, Paul; et al. (11 May 2012). "The Geologically Recent Giant Impact Basins at Vesta's South Pole". Science. 336 (6082): 694–697. Bibcode:2012Sci...336..694S. doi:10.1126/science.1223272. PMID 22582256. S2CID 206541950.
Previous Page Next Page
