Absolute lowest point on Mars |
Absolute lowest point on Mars |
Nov 24 2016, 12:50 AM
Post
#1
|
|
Newbie Group: Members Posts: 14 Joined: 25-August 09 Member No.: 4913 |
This small crater within the Hellas Crater is the lowest point on Mars but I can't seem to find any detailed information on it. Not even a name. Anyone have any info on its name, size, how deep it is, atmospheric pressure, temperature ranges, etc?
Sorry if this info is already somewhere else on this site but I can't locate it if it is. |
|
|
Nov 24 2016, 01:17 AM
Post
#2
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2431 Joined: 30-January 13 From: Penang, Malaysia. Member No.: 6853 |
This small crater within the Hellas Crater is the lowest point on Mars but I can't seem to find any detailed information on it. Not even a name. Anyone have any info on its name, size, how deep it is, atmospheric pressure, temperature ranges, etc? I found this post from 2006 LINK : The external links no longer work, but there are some details you were looking for and references that you may be able to Google. |
|
|
Nov 24 2016, 12:06 PM
Post
#3
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 423 Joined: 13-November 14 From: Norway Member No.: 7310 |
The best source for official place names in the Solar System that I know of, is the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature (use the Nomenclature menu).
From map MC-28 from here, it seems that the crater you have highlighted is Badwater, located on the plains of Peneus Palus. Its name was accepted in April last year. It has been imaged by both HiRISE and CTX (several times by the latter), and is the focus of many HiWISH suggestions. (whether the crater in question is the actual lowest point on Mars, I have no idea) -------------------- |
|
|
Nov 26 2016, 04:26 AM
Post
#4
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 890 Joined: 18-November 08 Member No.: 4489 |
|
|
|
Nov 27 2016, 04:16 PM
Post
#5
|
|
Senior Member Group: Moderator Posts: 3241 Joined: 11-February 04 From: Tucson, AZ Member No.: 23 |
For context, Badwater Basin contains the lowest point in North America.
-------------------- &@^^!% Jim! I'm a geologist, not a physicist!
The Gish Bar Times - A Blog all about Jupiter's Moon Io |
|
|
Nov 27 2016, 06:44 PM
Post
#6
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1669 Joined: 5-March 05 From: Boulder, CO Member No.: 184 |
Should be about 15mb of max air pressure and water boiling point of 13C.
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...st&p=192830 -------------------- Steve [ my home page and planetary maps page ]
|
|
|
Nov 28 2016, 06:35 PM
Post
#7
|
|
Newbie Group: Members Posts: 14 Joined: 25-August 09 Member No.: 4913 |
Thank you for the responses!
|
|
|
Nov 28 2016, 08:14 PM
Post
#8
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2530 Joined: 20-April 05 Member No.: 321 |
The latitude means that the Sun comes within 8° of zenith. The cosine of 8° is 0.99, a negligible difference from 1.0, so this may indeed be the place on Mars with the most time per year with conditions that allow liquid water, though that would be a complicated thing to nail down. It's certainly a decent candidate for that. The polygonal terrain indicates that drying of "wet" regolith has occurred at some point, but that is true of a great many locations, including the Phoenix and Viking 2 landing sites.
|
|
|
Nov 30 2016, 11:23 AM
Post
#9
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 495 Joined: 12-February 12 Member No.: 6336 |
Should be about 15mb of max air pressure and water boiling point of 13C. 13 degrees? I still feel that's a bit chilly for a swim. Serious: Hellas have indeed been mentioned as the best candidate for potential liquid water, even if it might only be in the form of a bit of humidity today. Now that assumption was most likely based on potential airpressure alone, now BuckGalaxy migh thave pinpointed the very spot where there might be a fraction more of that. This polygonal terrain JRehling mention is indeed a sign of that the area have dried up at some point. There's a hypothesis that Mars undergo warmer and more benign periods from time to time, if water have been flowing here comparatively more recently - 10-100 kiloyears or so, it must have been so smallscale we cannot see it in the image resolution we now have for the area. |
|
|
Nov 30 2016, 05:44 PM
Post
#10
|
|
Newbie Group: Members Posts: 14 Joined: 25-August 09 Member No.: 4913 |
13 degrees? I still feel that's a bit chilly for a swim. Serious: Hellas have indeed been mentioned as the best candidate for potential liquid water, even if it might only be in the form of a bit of humidity today. Now that assumption was most likely based on potential airpressure alone, now BuckGalaxy migh thave pinpointed the very spot where there might be a fraction more of that. This polygonal terrain JRehling mention is indeed a sign of that the area have dried up at some point. There's a hypothesis that Mars undergo warmer and more benign periods from time to time, if water have been flowing here comparatively more recently - 10-100 kiloyears or so, it must have been so smallscale we cannot see it in the image resolution we now have for the area. I would love to take credit for identifying the lowest elevation on Mars! LOL However, credit to where it's due, I got the op image from here: http://geology.com/articles/highest-point-on-mars.shtml No hard info on the diameter of the crater, but eyeballing it, maybe 20km? |
|
|
Dec 1 2016, 08:55 PM
Post
#11
|
|
Newbie Group: Members Posts: 14 Joined: 25-August 09 Member No.: 4913 |
No hard info on the diameter of the crater, but eyeballing it, maybe 20km? I was looking at Google Mars and I was able to compare the relative size of Badwater Crater to Endeavor Crater where Opportunity is exploring. Endeavor is 22km in diameter and Badwater looks like it's close to twice that size. Then I found this: https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/15314 Badwater is 33.14 km in diameter according to this link. The zoomable map at this link is worth a look. |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 24th September 2024 - 08:00 PM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |