Tarpeia (crater)

For the myth, see Tarpeia.
A picture of Tarpeia crater on Vesta taken by Dawn at an altitude of 700 km.

Tarpeia is a crater on the asteroid 4 Vesta located at 69.5°S and 29°E,[1] within the ridged and grooved terrain of Vesta's southern hemisphere.[2] It has a diameter of 41 km.[3] It is irregularly shaped and has a sharp, fresh rim.[2] It contains many small craters less than a kilometer across[2] and its steep slopes shows brilliant layers of minerals.[4]

It was named after Tarpeia, a maiden from Roman mythology, on 27 December 2011.[3]

References

  1. ↑ List of craters on Vesta, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature (NASA coordinates)
  2. 1 2 3 JPL Image of the day March 20, 2012 - Tarpeia crater
  3. 1 2 Tarpeia crater, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, retrieved 2012-04-26
  4. ↑ Dawn Reveals Secrets of Giant Asteroid Vesta
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