Caption: 
This high resolution (1 million particles) computer simulation illustrates an 1,800-mile-diameter (3,000-kilometer) projectile striking Venus head-on at 18 miles per second (30 km/s). On the left, the colors indicate different materials — brown for Venus’ core; white for the projectile’s core; and green for the silicate mantle of both objects. The colors on right side indicate the temperature of the materials.