Oblique angle impactors

[willpittenger]

I remember hearing that there are some impact craters on one of the Jovian moons that are considerably larger in one dimension than the other. Could these have been caused by an impactor moving almost parallel to the surface? Normally, the resulting explosion happens so fast that the impactor barely moves during the event. However, if the angle is right, the impactor could cover a lot of ground in that time. Hence, the explosion would be moving. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[yevaud]

Well yes, certainly. A body may impact at a steep angle, creating oblique cratering. Plenty of examples of this throughout the Solar System.<br /><br />The below shows some examples.<br /><br />Link <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>