NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The Hollowed Halls of Tyagaraja

This image, taken with the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC), gives us a stunning high-resolution view of Tyagaraja crater. The crater was named for Kakarla Tyagabrahmam, colloquially known as Tyāgarājar, the 18th century composer of Carnatic music or classical South Indian music. One of the most distinctive features of Tyagaraja is the large number of coalesced hollows covering large portions of the crater floor; these may have been formed by sublimation of a component of the material when exposed by the original impact. When imaged in color, reddish volcanic vents can be seen at the crater's center.

Date acquired: April 12, 2012

Image Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington