Stickney (crater)

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Stickney crater (at left), with radiating grooves
Stickney crater (at left), with radiating grooves
Stickney at top in sunlight, imaged by Mars Global Surveyor
Stickney at top in sunlight, imaged by Mars Global Surveyor

Stickney crater is the largest crater on Phobos, which is a satellite of Mars. It is about 10 km in diameter.

It is thought that the impact which created Stickney was so severe that it nearly broke up Phobos. Radiating grooves can be seen around Stickney.

The crater is named after Chloe Angeline Stickney Hall, wife of Phobos discoverer Asaph Hall.

Stickney could be seen with the naked eye from the surface of Mars. It is at the middle of the left edge of Phobos's face, on the Mars-facing side. It is located at 5°S 55°W on Phobos.

It has a smaller, unnamed crater within it, resulting from a later impact.

A montage of three separate images taken by Viking 1 on October 19, 1978.
A montage of three separate images taken by Viking 1 on October 19, 1978.

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