 Ezinu (top) and Nawish (bottom) | |
| Feature type | Impact crater |
|---|---|
| Location | Ceres |
| Coordinates | 43°12′N195°42′E / 43.2°N 195.7°E [1] |
| Diameter | 119.93 kilometres (74.52 mi) |
| Discoverer | Dawn |
| Naming | Sumerian goddess of grain |
Ezinu is a large impact crater on the dwarf planet Ceres, located within the Hanami Planum. It was officially named on 3 July 2015 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) after a Sumerian goddess of grain. [1]
The floor of Ezinu is home to a series of fractures, which are up to 200 metres deep and stretch for 22.7 km. [2] These fractures were theorised in a 2018 study to have been formed as a result of subsurface low-viscosity material flowing into the crater. [2]
Alphonsus is an ancient impact crater on the Moon that dates from the pre-Nectarian era. It is located on the lunar highlands on the eastern end of Mare Nubium, west of the Imbrian Highlands, and slightly overlaps the crater Ptolemaeus to the north. To the southwest is the smaller Alpetragius. The crater name was approved by the IAU in 1935.
Ceres is a dwarf planet in the middle main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was the first known asteroid, discovered on 1 January 1801 by Giuseppe Piazzi at Palermo Astronomical Observatory in Sicily, and announced as a new planet. Ceres was later classified as an asteroid and then a dwarf planet, the only one not beyond Neptune's orbit.
The geology of solar terrestrial planets mainly deals with the geological aspects of the four terrestrial planets of the Solar System – Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars – and one terrestrial dwarf planet: Ceres. Earth is the only terrestrial planet known to have an active hydrosphere.
The Tolstoj quadrangle in the equatorial region of Mercury runs from 144 to 216° longitude and -25 to 25° latitude. It was provisionally called "Tir", but renamed after Leo Tolstoy by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Also called Phaethontias.
Several bright surface features were discovered on the dwarf planet Ceres by the Dawn spacecraft in 2015.
Ahuna Mons is the largest mountain on the dwarf planet and asteroid Ceres. It protrudes above the cratered terrain, is not an impact feature, and is the only mountain of its kind on Ceres. Bright streaks run top to bottom on its slopes which are thought to be salt, similar to the better known Cererian bright spots, and likely resulted from cryovolcanic activity from Ceres's interior. It is named after the traditional post-harvest festival Ahuna of the Sümi Naga people of India. In July 2018, NASA released a comparison of physical features, including Ahuna Mons, found on Ceres with similar ones present on Earth.
Occator is an impact crater located on Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt that lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, that contains "Spot 5", the brightest of the bright spots observed by the Dawn spacecraft. It was known as "Region A" in ground-based images taken by the W. M. Keck Observatory on Mauna Kea.
Kerwan is the largest confirmed crater and one of the largest geological features on Ceres. It was discovered on February 19, 2015 from Dawn images as it approached Ceres. The crater is distinctly shallow for its size, and lacks a central peak. A central peak might have been destroyed by a 15-kilometer-wide crater at the center of Kerwan. The crater is likely to be young relative to the rest of Ceres's surface, as Kerwan has largely obliterated the cratering in the southern part of Vendimia Planitia.
Yalode is the second-largest confirmed crater on Ceres, after Kerwan. It is adjacent to another large crater, Urvara and serves as the namesake for the Yalode Quadrange. Yalode named after the Dahomeyan (Fon) deity of the yam harvest, Yalodé; the name Yalode was officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on 3 July 2015.
Haulani is an impact crater located on Ceres that contains "Spot 1", one of the bright spots observed by the Dawn spacecraft. The crater was named after Haulani, the Hawaiian goddess of plants. In July 2018, NASA released a comparison of physical features, including Haulani crater, found on Ceres with similar ones present on Earth.
Coniraya is a large, shallow crater on the dwarf planet Ceres. It is the namesake for the Coniraya Quadrangle.
Dantu is a large crater on Ceres, located within the Vendimia Planitia. It is rimmed by a number of minor faculae, which together form Bright Spot 2.
Fejokoo is a hexagonal impact crater on the dwarf planet Ceres. Like all craters on Ceres, it is named after an agricultural deity; the crater is named for the Igbo deity who provided yams. The name was officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on 3 July 2015, shortly after Dawn had entered Ceres orbit. Fejokoo Crater is the namesake for the Fejokoo Quadrangle.
The geology of Ceres is the scientific study of the surface, crust, and interior of the dwarf planet Ceres. It seeks to understand and describe Ceres' composition, landforms, evolution, and physical properties and processes. The study draws on fields such as geophysics, remote sensing, geochemistry, geodesy, and cartography.
Achita is a large crater on Ceres.
Nawish is a crater on the dwarf planet Ceres. It is named after the Acoma guardian of the field. The name was officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on 3 July 2015. It is the namesake of the Nawish Quadrangle.
Sintana is a large central peak crater in the Southern Hemisphere of the dwarf planet Ceres, located at 44.21° S, 76.4 ° E. It has a diameter of 58 km, hosting a central peak. The crater is named after the deity of the Kogi people of northern Colombia who produced fertile black earth. The name Sintana was officially adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on 3 July 2015. It is the namesake of the Sintana Quadrangle.
Oxo is a small impact crater on the dwarf planet Ceres. Located in Ceres's northern hemisphere, it is the second-brightest feature on Ceres, after Haulani Crater. The crater was named after the Candomblé god of agriculture.
