APOD 3.1- Stickney Crater

The surreal-looking, enhanced-color picture, belonging to NASA, displays Stickney Crater, which is the largest crater on the martian moon Phobos. It was taken by the WiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2008. The crater was named for the wife of the astronomer Asaph Hall, who was responsible for discovering both of Mars' moons.

Stickney Crater is half the diameter of Phobos; whatever created it likely could have destroyed the moon in fact. The streaks are probably from loose material sliding down the walls of the geological feature (although Phobos' gravity is less than 1/1000th Earth's gravity), and the bluish regions denote exposed surfaces. There are many groves in Stickney Crater, created during the impact that produced the feature.