III. CRATER IMAGE INTERPRETATION
In the previous section, we examined images of the Galilean
satellites taken by the Galileo spacecraft. Such images will be returned until
the end of 1999, and scientists will be busy for years to come analyzing them.
This data can be compared to what we already know about the Earth and the
terrestrial planets, and we can use it to learn about the physical properties
and geologic history of the satellites of Jupiter. We have previously examined
the agents of change present on the Galilean satellites. However, there is
much more we can tell about these worlds merely by carefully inspecting images
of them.
Initial Activity:
- Make a list of all the things you think we can measure or
determine by
looking at images of craters on the surfaces of the Galilean satellites (or any
planets), and what such measurements indicate.
A: Possibilities include
- crater size: size of impacting bodies
- crater depth: strength of surface material, impactor size
and speed
- crater shape: structure of surface material, composition
- size distribution of craters over an image: estimate surface
ages
TEACHER FEATURE
Go to:
Next Page
I. Location of features on the surface of
a planet: latitude and
longitude
II. Crater formation, modification, and
removal
B. Where have all the craters
gone?
C. Focus on the Galilean
satellites
III. Crater Image Interpretation
B. Crater depth
C. Crater size distribution and
surface ages
Conclusion
Back to Top Level
This module was written by Cynthia Phillips, Dept. of Planetary
Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ, and funded in part by the
NASA Spacegrant program.
Return to SSI Education and Public Outreach Homepage
Galileo Solid State Imaging Team Leader: Dr. Michael J. S. Belton
The SSI Education and Public Outreach webpages were originally created and
managed by Matthew Fishburn and Elizabeth Alvarez with significant assistance
from Kelly Bender, Ross Beyer, Detrick Branston, Stephanie Lyons, Eileen Ryan,
and Nalin Samarasinha.
Last updated: September 17, 1999, by Matthew Fishburn
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