Heimdal (Martian crater)

MarsGeo-Crater
name=Heimdal


caption= Heimdal photographed by MRO, with the Phoenix lander parachuting down to a landing nearby.
longitude=235.3
E_or_W=E
latitude=68.3
N_or_S=N
eponym=Heimdal, Hedmark, Norway
diameter = 10 km

Heimdal is a relatively recent impact crater on the planet Mars. It lies in Vastitas Borealis, the northern plain. It is named after Heimdal, a town in Norway.

The crater is approximately 20 kilometers from the landing site of the Phoenix lander. The landing site area is believed to be blanketed by ejecta excavated by the impact that created Heimdal. [cite journal|author=Arvidson, et al|title=Mars Exploration Program 2007 Phoenix landing site selection and characteristics|year=2008|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research|volume=113|doi=10.1029/2007JE003021] The spacecraft was photographed during landing by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and was captured parachuting over the crater.

References

External links

* [http://astrogeology.usgs.gov/HotTopics/index.php?/archives/339-Name-Approved-for-Small-Martian-Crater.html Announcement of naming]
* [http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080530.html Heimdal at the "Astronomy Picture of the Day"]