Liu Hsin (Martian crater)

Liu Hsin Crater

Gullies in Liu Hsin Crater, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Curved lines on crater floor may be remains of old glaciers.
Planet Mars
Coordinates 53°36′S 171°36′W / 53.6°S 171.6°W / -53.6; -171.6Coordinates: 53°36′S 171°36′W / 53.6°S 171.6°W / -53.6; -171.6
Diameter 137 km
Eponym Liu Xin (Liu Hsin)

Liu Hsin Crater is a crater in the Phaethontis quadrangle of Mars, located at 53.6°S latitude and 171.6°W longitude. It is 137.0 km in diameter and was named after Liu Xin. Liu Hsin (also spelled Xin) was a Chinese astronomer, historian, and editor during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 9 CE) and the Xin Dynasty (9 to 23 CE).[1] The name was approved in 1973 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN).[2]

Its surrounding craters have no names, only one surrounding large named crater is nearby and is Copernicus located about one-third of the crater diameter north.

Dunes are common on Mars. Liu Hsin Crater shows some barchan dunes. When there are perfect conditions for producing sand dunes, steady wind in one direction and just enough sand, a barchan sand dune forms. Barchans have a gentle slope on the wind side and a much steeper slope on the lee side where horns or a notch often forms.[3] The whole dune may appear to move with the wind. Observing dunes on Mars can tell us how strong the winds are, as well as their direction.

Pictures show gullies on the wall of the crater; these can be seen in one of the pictures below.

Liu Hsin, as seen by MOLA, THEMIS IR Day, and in map by International Astronomical Union Working Group

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.uahirise.org/ESP_038896_1255
  2. ↑ "Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature | Liu Hsin". usgs.gov. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Pye, Kenneth; Haim Tsoar (2008). Aeolian Sand and Sand Dunes. Springer. p. 138. ISBN 9783540859109.
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