Hovnatanian crater was formed by an object that impacted at a very oblique angle, causing the crater to appear elliptical. Although impacts at most angles produce circular craters, impacts with incidence angles less than 15º (from the horizontal) will create elliptical craters. The rays of Hovnatanian form a "butterfly" pattern, which also indicates an oblique impact.
Date acquired: January 16, 2012
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 235218286
Image ID: 1273501
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: -7.7°
Center Longitude: 172.6° E
Resolution: 58 meters/pixel
Scale: Hovnatanian crater is approximately 33 km (21 mi.) long.
Incidence Angle: 77.3°
Emission Angle: 55.6°
Phase Angle: 132.9°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
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