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Largest Crater

From , former About.com Guide

Pictures of Venus - Largest Crater

Pictures of Venus - Largest Crater

Copyright 1995-2003, California Institute of Technology
A large impact crater about 30 km (19 mi) in diameter is surrounded by a fresh ejecta blanket. The extreme brightness of the blanket is due to its roughness and its ability to scatter the radar signals that are used to collect these images. Scientists believe that the missing section of the ejecta blanket is due to an atmospheric blast that followed the impactor as it crashed through the Venusian atmosphere.

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