Claudia crater, Vesta. An arrow has been added to the image to point out the crater, which is quite small (equal to the width of the arrow).

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HAMO and LAMO images of Claudia crater

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September 4, 2012

These Dawn framing camera (FC) images of Vesta show Claudia crater at both HAMO (high-altitude mapping orbit) and LAMO (low-altitude mapping orbit) resolutions. The left image is the HAMO image and the right image is the LAMO image. To find Claudia crater use the two relatively large degraded craters that form the figure of eight shape in the bottom left of the LAMO image. On the middle right rim of these craters there is a small crater. About 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) to the bottom right of this crater is Claudia, which is 0.7 kilometers (0.4 miles) in diameter. The LAMO image is approximately three times better spatial resolution than the HAMO image. In images with higher spatial resolutions smaller objects can be better distinguished. Claudia was chosen to anchor the coordinate system for Vesta that is used in the scientific investigations of the Dawn team. Claudia was chosen for this because it is a small crater, which is reasonably easy to find, near Vesta’s equator.