A month ago today, I ticked off a bucket list visit ...

[John]

Seems a long time ago already but a month ago I visited this place which has been on my "must do one day" list for many years. Very much worth a visit if you are ever in northern Arizona

[niallk]

Oh wow!  I've wanted to see it since I was a kid.  Was in Tempe for a week with work, but couldn't get out to it...

[carastro]

Great photo, and me too, I would love to visit.  Do you just view from the top of the crater, or can you go down into it?

Carole 

[DaveS]

Great photo, and an object lesson on what's still left from the Late Heavy Bombardment.

[John]

15 minutes ago, carastro said:

Great photo, and me too, I would love to visit.  Do you just view from the top of the crater, or can you go down into it?

Carole 

Thanks.

There is a nice and newish visitor centre and museum which leads on to viewing terraces on 3 levels and there is also a walkway partway around the rim. To get down to the crater floor is a 2 hour hike in very hot and rough conditions. Only allowed by special permission.

As you approach the crater (the pic below was taken from around 3 miles away) all you see are the low crater ramparts, no suggestion of the massive pit of the crater which is 1200 meters across and 175 metres deep.

All created around 50,000 years ago in around 10 seconds by an iron meteorite estimated to be around 150 metres in diameter. Must have been quite a BANG !!!

 

[alan potts]

Superb panoramic shot of the crater there John, quite a sight and as you say a fair sized bang, think I heard it when I was a boy.😀

Alan

[maw lod qan]

Yes, definitely hope to see it as well. 

[Star101]

Great photos. Its good to see the second image,3 miles away, I feel gives a much better idea of how big that crater really is!!

Glad you got to tick off one from your list too. Well done.

[Saganite]

Superb image John. I drove to the crater after leaving The Lowell telescope in Flagstaff, at which our orbits crossed briefly. I will definitely see things a little differently when I next look at Lunar craters .

[John]

15 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Superb image John. I drove to the crater after leaving The Lowell telescope in Flagstaff, at which our orbits crossed briefly. I will definitely see things a little differently when I next look at Lunar craters .

Thanks Steve,

It was great to bump into you and your other half at the Lowell Observatory. That was another place that I'd wanted to visit for many years

[laudropb]

That photo brings back happy memories to me. I visited slightly longer ago than you John. I just realised it’s almost 50 years ago In fact when as a 16 year old I had a month in the states staying with relatives.

[bingevader]

20 hours ago, John said:

 

All created around 50,000 years ago in around 10 seconds by an iron meteorite estimated to be around 150 metres in diameter. Must have been quite a BANG !!!

 

Have a go yourself : Crater Impact

Is it really only called Meteor Crater!?

[John]

3 minutes ago, bingevader said:

Have a go yourself : Crater Impact

Is it really only called Meteor Crater!?

Thanks for the link - I'll have a play with that

I believe it's really called Barringer Crater after Daniel Barringer who was the 1st to propose that it was created by a meteorite. It has also been known as Canyon Diablo Crater after the narrow, sinuous dry valley that winds across the plain nearby. The meteorite that created the crater is still known as Canyon Diablo.

The Barringer family still own the crater and some land surrounding it and operate the visitor centre and access to the crater. Frankly for $18.00 I thought it good value but then I'm into astronomy