Скачать или смотреть The Planet with a Scar

1. Caloris Basin (Mercury)
The Caloris Basin is a massive impact crater on Mercury, measuring about 1,550 km in diameter. It formed billions of years ago when a giant asteroid struck the planet, creating a ring of mountains up to 2 km high. The impact was so powerful that seismic waves rippled through Mercury, affecting the opposite side of the planet.

2. Dickinson Crater (Venus)
Dickinson Crater, about 69 km in diameter, lies on Venus. It is surrounded by solidified lava flows, indicating that the heat from the initial impact may have triggered localized volcanic activity. This crater is a reminder that Venus’s surface is geologically active.

3. Chicxulub Crater (Earth)
The Chicxulub Crater, located on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, spans roughly 180 km. It was formed around 66 million years ago when a massive asteroid collided with Earth, triggering the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs. The explosion’s energy is estimated to have been equivalent to billions of nuclear bombs.

4. Huygens Crater (Mars)
Huygens Crater is one of the largest craters on Mars, stretching about 467 km across. Formed over 3.9 billion years ago, it features steep walls and a floor filled with landslide debris, serving as evidence of Mars’s ancient geological activity.

5. Jupiter’s Vanished Scar (2009 Impact Event)
In July 2009, astronomer Anthony Wesley spotted a dark, bruise-like mark in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere — the aftermath of a powerful impact. Scientists believe a comet or asteroid, roughly 200–500 meters wide, slammed into the gas giant with the energy of thousands of nuclear bombs. The strike tore a temporary “wound” into Jupiter’s cloud layers, visible as an elongated dark patch.
Unlike the Great Red Spot, this scar was short-lived. Jupiter’s intense winds quickly stretched and scattered the debris, and by November 2009 the mark had completely faded, leaving no visible trace of the cosmic collision.