Why asteroid impacts create circles instead of ovals
In short: When an asteroid strikes a surface at an angle, intuition suggests an elliptical crater should form. This video explores why most impact craters remain remarkably circular despite the angle of approach.
While one might expect a smooth transition toward increasingly elliptical shapes as impact angles decrease, simulations and experiments reveal a different reality. Research, including hypervelocity impact experiments into sand at the NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range, shows that craters maintain a circular shape across most possible impact angles.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Why Are Most Impact Craters Perfectly Circular? (Rather than Ovals)
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