Sky (crater)
 An image showing the three prominent features on Arrokoth, including Sky on the north of the image. | |
| Feature type | Impact crater |
|---|---|
| Location | Arrokoth |
| Diameter | 6.8 km |
| Eponym | Word for 'sky' in the English language. |
Sky, is a crater on the surface of the minor planet named Arrokoth, with a diameter of 6.8 km,[1] located at the Weeyo lobus.[2] It is the only crater that has been found on Arrokoth's surface.
Structure
Sky's impact structure has a diameter of 6.8 km,[1] which takes up 7% of the Weeyo lobus.[3] The hole of the impact structure is 1 km deep.[4] The crater is considerably large, which raised the question of how Arrokoth's neck region, Akasa Collum responded to the impact.[3][4]
Naming
During the flyby of Arrokoth, the crater was nicknamed "Maryland" where the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory is located.[5] It stayed nicknamed until it got its official name approved by the International Astronomical Union on September 2, 2021, which its name derives from the word 'sky' from the English language.[1][5]
References
- 1 2 3 "Sky". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- ↑ "Arrokoth (2014 MU69) Nomenclature" (PDF). Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. USGS. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- 1 2 E. Webb, James. "ANALYSIS OF COHESIVE STRENGTH REGIME OF (486958) ARROKOTH AND COMPARISON WITH OTHER SMALL BODIES" (PDF). Universities Space Research Association (USRA). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 Kim, Yaeji; Hirabayashi, Masatoshi (2022-12-15). "Sky crater impact induced structural behavior of (486958) Arrokoth". Bulletin of the AAS. 54 (8).
- 1 2 Howell, Elizabeth. "The icy 'space snowman' Arrokoth in deep space just got names for its best features". Space.com. Retrieved 25 June 2026.