View source for Pwyll (crater)

{{short description|Impact crater on Europa}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox feature on celestial object
|name          = Pwyll (crater)
|image         = Europa Pwyll.jpg
|caption       = A combination of color and high resolution black and white data from [[NASA]]'s [[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo spacecraft]] was used to produce this view looking down on Pwyll crater with the sun illuminating the scene from the right. The [[Conamara Chaos]] region is just below the "X" formed by lineae near the top.
|coordinates   = {{coord|25.2|S|271.4|W|type:landmark_globe:europa|name=Pwyll}}
|coordinates_footnotes = <ref name="IAU">{{gpn|4878|Pwyll}}</ref>
|location      = [[Europa (moon)|Europa]]
|type          = Impact crater
|diameter      = {{val|45|u=km}}<ref name="IAU"/>
|depth         = 
|discoverer    = 
|eponym        = [[Pwyll]] of [[Welsh mythology]]
}}

'''Pwyll''' ({{IPA|cy|pʊ̯iɬ}}) is an [[impact crater]] on the surface of [[Jupiter]]'s [[natural satellite|moon]] [[Europa (moon)|Europa]]. It is thought to be one of the youngest features on the moon. The crater was first observed from [[Voyager program|Voyager]] images in 1986,<ref name="AGU100">{{cite journal|last1=Fanale|first1=Fraser P.|last2=Granahan|first2=James C.|last3=Greeley|first3=Ronald|last4=Pappalardo|first4=Robert|last5=Head|first5=James|last6=Shirley|first6=James|last7=Carlson|first7=Robert|last8=Hendrix|first8=Amanda|last9=Moore|first9=Jeffrey|last10=McCord|first10=Thomas B.|last11=Belton|first11=Michael|display-authors=3|title=Tyre and Pwyll: Galileo orbital remote sensing of mineralogy versus morphology at two selected sites on Europa|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets|date=25 September 2000|volume=105|issue=E9|pages=22647–22655|doi=10.1029/1999JE001102|doi-access=free}}</ref> and the name was officially recognized by the IAU in 1997, after [[Pwyll]] of [[Welsh mythology]].

==Description==
Pwyll crater is estimated to be 18 million years old or younger.<ref name="Icarus">{{cite journal|last1=Bierhaus|first1=E|title=Pwyll Secondaries and Other Small Craters on Europa|journal=Icarus|date=October 2001|volume=153|issue=2|pages=264–276|doi=10.1006/icar.2001.6690|bibcode=2001Icar..153..264B}}</ref> Its visible dark central region is about {{convert|25|km|mi}} in diameter, with several small peaks, and a central peak rising to about {{val|600|u=meters}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Red-Blue Three dimensional view of Pwyll crater|url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA01665|publisher=[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]]|accessdate=15 December 2012|date=1999-01-18}}</ref> Dark material in the center of the crater was exposed as a result of the impact, and may have been excavated from a depth of {{val|1|u=km}}.<ref name="AGU100"/>

Ejected bright material extends outward from Pwyll in [[Ray system|rays]] that extend as far as {{val|1000|u=km}}, covering the darker reddish surface of Europa.<ref name="AGU100"/> The bright white color suggests a composition of water ice particles.<ref name=NASAapod41797>{{Cite APOD|title=Pwyll: Icy Crater of Europa|date=17 April 1997|access-date=15 December 2012}}</ref> In addition to the white rays, the impact also produced a multitude of smaller [[secondary crater]]s, which are largest near the center of each ray, and close to the central crater.<ref name="GEM">{{cite journal|last1=Moore|first1=Jeffrey|last2=Asphaug|first2=Erik|last3=Belton|first3=Michael|title=Impact Features on Europa: Results of the Galileo Europa Mission (GEM)|journal=Icarus|date=May 2001|volume=151|issue=1|pages=93–111|doi=10.1006/icar.2000.6558|bibcode=2001Icar..151...93M |s2cid=17273341 |url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9011/c455afe393eb8adecd44f28c96be29644f08.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427120535/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9011/c455afe393eb8adecd44f28c96be29644f08.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-04-27|accessdate=27 April 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of craters on Europa]]
*[[List of geological features on Europa]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01211 Planetary Photojournal image page]
*[http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/feature/+Pwyll+ NASA Europa images]

{{Europa}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pwyll (Crater)}}
[[Category:Impact craters on Europa (moon)]]
[[Category:Surface features of Europa (moon)]]


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