August 11, 2009
Another year older means another lap aboard a world spinning through the void at impossible speed.
Inside Barringer Meteor Crater
Birthday · August 11, 2009
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APOD published August 11, 2009. Credit: Tony Rowell. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
What happens when a meteor hits the ground? Usually nothing much, as most meteors are small, and indentations they make are soon eroded away. About 50,000 years ago, however, a large meteor created Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona, USA. Also known simply as Meteor Crater, the resulting impact basin spans over a kilometer. Pictured above, a tour group views the inside of Barringer Crater early last year. Historically, Barringer Crater was the first feature on Earth to be recognized as an impact crater. Today, over 100 terrestrial impact features have been identified on planet Earth. Computer modeling indicates that some of the Canyon Diablo impactor melted during the impact that created Barringer.
Image credit: Tony Rowell