Pharos (crater)

Pharos
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A full-disc image of Proteus from the Voyager 2 spacecraft, with Pharos occupying much of the upper right
Feature typeImpact crater
Possible peak-ring impact basin
LocationProteus
Coordinates10°0′S 10°0′W / 10.000°S 10.000°W / -10.000; -10.000[1]
Diameter255±12 km (Croft 1992)[2]: 409 
230 km (Stooke 1994)[3]: 47 
Depth~10 km (6.2 mi)[2]
DiscovererVoyager 2
EponymIsland of Pharos

Pharos (/ˈfɛərɒs/ FAIR-oss) is the largest known impact crater on Neptune's moon Proteus. It is named after the island of Pharos, making it the only named surface feature on Proteus as of 2024. It measures 10–15 km deep and has a diameter of around 250 km (160 mi), making it more than half the diameter of Proteus itself. Debris ejected from the impact that created Pharos may have formed Hippocamp, a small moon whose orbit is unusually close to Proteus's.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thomas1995 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Croft1992 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Stooke1994 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hubble-2019-04 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).