Damodar (crater)
 An edited image of Damodar showing its width as captured by the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft in 1997 | |
| Feature type | Crater |
|---|---|
| Location | 253 Mathilde |
| Coordinates | 73°00′N 96°12′E / 73°N 96.2°E[1] |
| Diameter | 28.7 km (17.8 mi) |
| Discoverer | via NEAR Shoemaker in c. June 1997 |
| Naming | 2000 |
| Eponym | Damodar Valley |
Damodar is a crater on the asteroid 253 Mathilde that was discovered via the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft in c. June 1997.[2] The crater was named after the Damodar Valley, the largest coal basin in India.[3] The name "Damodar" was officially approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in the year 2000.[4]
Geology and characteristics
Damodar has the coordinates of 73°00′N 96°12′E / 73°N 96.2°E, which makes it border and even overlap the nearby crater of Karoo.[4][5] It has an estimated diameter of 28.7 kilometers (17.8 miles).[4]
The raised crater rims of Damodar suggest that some of the material ejected from its formation traveled only short distances before falling back to the surface; straight sections of some of its rims indicate the influence of large faults or fractures on formation.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ "Planetary Names". planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- ↑ "NEAR Mathilde Flyby". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2006-08-18. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- ↑ Ion, D. C. (June 1983). "Book Review: Concise Guide to World Coalfields". Energy Exploration & Exploitation. 2 (2): 175–178. doi:10.1177/014459878300200212. ISSN 0144-5987.
- 1 2 3 "Planetary Names". planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
- ↑ Baoyin, Hexi; Jiao, Yifei; Cheng, Bin; Dai, Wen-Yue; Asphaug, Erik; Jutzi, Martin; Raducan, Sabina; Yan, Xiaoran; Yu, Yang (2025-12-17), Giant Craters on 253 Mathilde Revealing the Cohesive Porous Interior of Carbonaceous Parent Bodies, doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-6500771/v1, retrieved 2026-07-29
- ↑ "NEAR Mathilde Flyby". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2006-08-18. Retrieved 2026-07-29.