The spectacular "spider crater" in Western Australia mountainous Kimberley region has been photographed by a NASA satellite tracking system.
Image of Spider Crater taken by NASA\'s ASTER satellite. Credit: NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
Describing the image, a statement by the space agency said: "In this false-color image, the arid landscape appears in varying shades of crimson. Near the center of the image is the Spider, sunlight giving an oddly ghostlike appearance to the steep ridges that form its legs."
The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA's Terra satellite captured the spectacular image of the crater and its surroundings showing clearly the appearance of a giant arachnid crawling across the landscape.
The structure of the crater, situated in almost inaccessible terrain, was for many years a mystery until the 1970s when "shatter cones" -- cone-shaped, grooved rocks known only to appear in craters left by meteor or asteroid impacts -- were discovered. The find led scientists to conclude the structure was that of an eroded impact area.
Experts believe the meteor, which is estimated to have fallen between 900 and 600 million years ago, was angled sharply from the north or northwest, giving the crater its unusual shape.
However others say the spider shape is due mainly to the effect of pre-existing topography.
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