Why it matters

Valhalla shows that in the outer Solar System a crater can be not a bowl, but an entire planetary-scale ring system.

What happenedA giant multi-ring impact structure on Callisto whose scale makes it one of the anchor objects of the outer catalog.
Why it mattersValhalla shows that in the outer Solar System a crater can be not a bowl, but an entire planetary-scale ring system.
How scientists knowGazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature; NASA Image and Video Library

Measurements and uncertainty

Diameter3,000 km
Depthnot listed
Ageancient ringed feature
StatusConfirmed
Coordinates14.700° N / 56.000° W
Record levelextended

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

Scientific profile

Valhalla's rings read as the response of an ice-rock crust to a giant impact, useful for comparing impact mechanics across small and large bodies.

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: ringed basin on Callisto's dark 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 feature is listed in the IAU/USGS planetary nomenclature and is known from missions to the Jupiter system.

Sources

CSVJSONValhalla on Callisto. 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 Gazetteer diameter: about 3000 km.
  • The name refers to Valhalla from Norse mythology.
  • For the site, it anchors the Jupiter-moons branch.
Glossaryejecta, impact melt, breccia, central peak, erosion
Classroom questionWhich evidence separates an impact crater from a volcanic caldera?
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