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Impact Calculator Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

Computing Crater Size from Projectile Diameter

By H. Jay Melosh and Ross A. Beyer

This is a program to estimate the size of a gravity-dominated impact crater from the given size of the projectile that made it. Three different estimates are presented, but the pi-scaling method is currently considered the best!

Projectile Descriptors




Impact Conditions




The impact angle is measured between the approach trajectory and a plane tangent to the surface. This angle is 90 degrees for a vertical impact.

Target Descriptors



 



Target Type:



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