Limtoc

Limtoc is a crater on the surface of Mars's inner moon Phobos.[1] The crater, the diameter of which is 2 kilometers, is located within the larger, and better-known surface feature, Stickney crater.[1] Limtoc was officially named by the International Astronomical Union on 29 November 2006, after a character from Jonathan Swift’s satire Gulliver's Travels.[1]

A false-color image of Limtoc within the Stickney crater, as seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on 23 March 2008

Limtoc formed roughly 109 million years ago, making it one of the youngest features on Phobos.[2] When the Limtoc impactor collided with Phobos, it created a significant amount of ejecta; ejecta which was sent towards the northern edge of Stickney collided with that crater's rim, while ejecta sent towards the southern edge was largely catapulted out of Stickney altogether.[3] This ejecta has partially contributed to the formation of the blue spectral coloration seen on the south-western edge of the Stickney crater, along with the ejecta from Stickney itself.[2]

References
  1. "Planetary Names: Crater, craters: Limtoc on Phobos". Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  2. Kikuchi, Hiroshi (15 January 2021). "Simulating re-impacts from craters at the deepest location of Phobos to generate its blue spectral units". Icarus. Elsevier. 354: 113997. Bibcode:2021Icar..35413997K. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113997. S2CID 224926793. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  3. Kikuchi, Hiroshi (2018). "Ejecta Emplacements of Limtoc Impact on Phobos" (PDF). 49th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Lunar and Planetary Institute & Johnson Space Center (2083): 2. Bibcode:2018LPI....49.1898K. Retrieved 30 August 2022.


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