Mars attacked! Photo of the asteroid collision shows its incredible crater of impact

A The new image released by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) of NASA shows the incredible aftermath of an asteroid impact on the Martian surface.

With the help of his high-resolution scientific imaging experiment (HiRISE), the MRO photographed the new crater on April 17, 2019, while it was climbing 255 km above sea level, according to a HiRise statement.

The crater has a width of about 15 to 16 meters. The dark spot created by the impact is about 500 meters wide, and the size of the meteorite is estimated to be about 1.5 meters (5 feet) wide.

Here on Earth, we are well aware of the importance of the potential impacts of asteroids, but fortunately, this block of space rocks probably would not have survived the journey through the Earth's atmosphere because it is considerably thicker than that Of March.

Dr. Bruce Betts, Chief Scientist at the Planetary Society, puts it in perspective for reverse:

"When this tall object strikes the Earth's atmosphere, it breaks and at least most of it burns before it hits the ground. The atmosphere of Mars being much thinner, these sized objects manage to hit the surface.

"Although this tall asteroid can not cross the Earth's atmosphere, seeing such impacts reminds us that it is necessary to work to defend the Earth against the impact of larger asteroids that are over there."

When an asteroid strikes the surface of Mars, it throws materials out of the surface. Since much of Mars is covered with bright red dust and rusty rocks, the projected material is often darker than the surface material, as we see in this picture.

The enhanced color accentuates the more blue material and could represent a material of different composition than the surface rocks.

The bluish areas of the false-color image above indicate areas in which the red surface material has been most disturbed by the impact. The image was produced by scientist Mars Veronica Bray of the University of Arizona, who operates the HiRISE.

Although the exact timing of the strike is unknown, astronomers believe that it was probably performed between September 2016 and February 2019.