Why it matters

Pwyll matters as a compact but expressive object, showing how impact form changes on an active icy surface.

What happenedA Europa crater with bright ejecta that helps read impact processes in the icy shell of an ocean-world candidate.
Why it mattersPwyll matters as a compact but expressive object, showing how impact form changes on an active icy surface.
How scientists knowGazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; NASA Image and Video Library

Measurements and uncertainty

Diameter45 km
Depthnot listed
Agerelatively young icy crater
StatusConfirmed
Coordinates25.200° S / 88.600° E
Record levelextended

Extended record: core parameters have an editorial baseline, while age, depth, and preservation still require primary-source review.

Scientific profile

Bright ejecta and disrupted icy texture around the crater invite discussion of composition, ice reworking, and local surface history.

Data provenanceGazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; NASA Image and Video Library

Reconstruction gallery

More visual readings of the crater

If verified imagery is not enough, the profile receives a scientific reconstruction: not fantasy in place of fact, but a visual hypothesis clearly separated from sources.

World paletteicy turquoise, deep space, and distant moons
Scientific reconstruction: Pwyll's bright ejecta on Europa's icy surface.
Current visual previewBase plate: source image, satellite material, or editorial plate where visual reading begins.
Reverse reconstructionmoving from the present trace back to the impact event
Chronological inversionreading the object from future state back through earlier layers
The present as an archive of the futuretreating today's profile as evidence for future analysis

Visual reconstruction

Reverse reconstruction → Chronological inversion → Bidirectional analysis → The present as an archive of the future

Every profile needs a visualization preview: an existing image, an aesthetically treated source, or a scientific reconstruction.

Reverse reconstructionmoving from the present trace back to the impact event
Chronological inversionreading the object from future state back through earlier layers
Bidirectional analysischecking past-to-present and present-to-past interpretations
The present as an archive of the futuretreating today's profile as evidence for future analysis

Research history

The name was adopted by the IAU in 1997 and is listed in the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature.

Sources

CSVJSONPwyll on Europa. Crater.world record. Last reviewed 2026-05-08.
Last reviewed
2026-05-08
Source baseline
Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; NASA Image and Video Library
Uncertainty note
Extended record: core parameters have an editorial baseline, while age, depth, and preservation still require primary-source review.
Gazetteer of Planetary NomenclatureInternational Astronomical Union / USGSNASA Image and Video LibraryNASA

Education mode

Facts

  • Official diameter: about 45 km.
  • The name comes from Celtic mythology.
  • Scientifically interesting because impact interacts with an icy shell.
Glossaryejecta, impact melt, breccia, central peak, erosion
Classroom questionWhich evidence separates an impact crater from a volcanic caldera?
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