Location | Ceres |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°13′N 359°36′E / 42.21°N 359.6°E[1] |
Diameter | 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) |
Depth | 4,802 metres (15,755 ft) |
Naming | After the Candomblé god of agriculture |
Oxo /ˈɒʃoʊ/ is a small impact crater on the dwarf planet Ceres, located in Ceres' northern hemisphere. It is the second-brightest feature on Ceres. The crater was named after the Candomblé (and Yoruba) god of agriculture.[2]
Oxo is a very young crater, having been formed only 190+100
−70 Ka (thousand years) ago,[3] and it is entirely located within the older, heavily degraded crater Duginavi.[4] Despite its relatively small size, the impact that created Oxo penetrated more deeply into Ceres than many larger craters, reaching a depth of 4,802 metres, and it excavated significant amounts of bright material that was distributed unevenly throughout the crater's ejecta blanket.[5]
As a result of Oxo's young age it has a very sharp crater rim and a well-defined ejecta blanket. It is also home to many large boulders; boulders produced by older craters have largely been destroyed by micrometeoroid impacts.[6]
Oxo is actively undergoing the sublimation of water ice, due to its young age.[3] This ice is located along the crater's southern wall.[7]