Date acquired: October 21, 2011 Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 227644290 Image ID: 911008, 911007, 91106 Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) WAC filter: 9, 7, 6 (996, 748, 433 nanometers) in red, green, and blue Center Latitude: -2.5° Center Longitude: 354.0° E Resolution: 359 meters/pixel Scale: Warhol crater is about 95 km (59 mi.) in diameter. Incidence Angle: 79.5° Emission Angle: 56.3° Phase Angle: 135.9°
This very high resolution image shows the interior of a crater in Mercury's northern hemisphere. Near the base of the crater's northern wall, we can see a subtle curving line, indicated by the arrows. The line represents the edge of a lobe of material that has likely formed by slow movement of loose regolith down the steeper parts of the crater wall under the action of gravity. Geologists refer to this type of movement as "creep."
Date acquired: February 26, 2012 Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 238781524 Image ID: 1445441 Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) Center Latitude: 45.43° Center Longitude: 298.8° E Resolution: 13 meters/pixel Scale: The edges of the image are about 14 km (8.7 mi.) long. Incidence Angle: 69.9° Emission Angle: 0.1° Phase Angle: 70.0°
Date acquired: April 10, 2011 Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 210935602, 210935622, 210935606 Image ID: 114272, 114277, 114273 Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) WAC filters: 9, 7, 6 (996, 748, 433 nanometers) in red, green, and blue Center Latitude: -2.50° Center Longitude: 316.5° E Resolution: 975 meters/pixel Scale: The scene is about 1040 km (645 mi.) wide. Incidence Angle: 13.3° Emission Angle: 14.7° Phase Angle: 28.0°
Date Created: February 10, 2012 Instrument:Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) Latitude Range: 39.2° N to 42.1° N Longitude Range: 150.6° E to 155.3° E Resolution: 140 meters/pixel Scale: Munch crater is 58 km (36 mi.) in diameter Projection:Azimuthal equidistant
Date acquired: January 12, 2012 Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 234830851 Image ID: 1254970 Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) Center Latitude: -17.75° Center Longitude: 44.65° E Resolution: 147 meters/pixel Scale: Holst crater is 170 km (106 mi.) in diameter Incidence Angle: 67.0° Emission Angle: 0.5° Phase Angle: 67.2°
Date acquired: December 22, 2011 Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 233052079 Image ID: 1168964 Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) Center Latitude: 45.51° Center Longitude: 177.9° E Resolution: 24 meters/pixel Scale: Ailey crater is 21 km (13 mi.) in diameter Incidence Angle: 46.2° Emission Angle: 28.7° Phase Angle: 74.9°
This image is a portion of the MDIS global mosaic basemap that was acquired during MESSENGER's first year in orbit. The scene shows a region of smooth, volcanic plains that have been heavily modified by tectonic structures termed "wrinkle ridges." Occurring on the Moon and Mars as well as on Mercury, wrinkle ridges are low, sinuous features that form when lavas cool and subside, causing the crust to contract horizontally. These landforms are often concentrated around buried crater rims, forming circular wrinkle ridges like those in the center right of the image.
Date Created: February 10, 2012 Instrument:Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) Latitude Range: 49.6° N to 60.9° N Longitude Range: 16.5° E to 48.5° E Resolution: 400 meters/pixel Scale:Hokusai, the large, fresh impact crater at top left, is 90 km (56 mi.) in diameter. Projection:Azimuthal equidistant
Date acquired: December 22, 2011 Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 233051806 Image ID: 1168956 Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) WAC filter: 9 (996 nanometers) Center Latitude: 40.36° Center Longitude: 178.0° E Resolution: 887 meters/pixel Scale: Balanchine crater is 36 km (22 miles) in diameter Incidence Angle: 41.3° Emission Angle: 0.3° Phase Angle: 41.0°
The top image is a MASCS VIRS instrument color composite over a region of crateredplains on Mercury that includes craters Mena (upper left), Cezanne, Philoxenus, Chu Ta, and the unnamed "blue tongue" impact crater (lower right). Below is a contrast enhanced version of the MDISmosaic without the VIRS overlay. In the VIRS color composite, the young rays of Mena and the blue tongue crater appear in yellows and oranges. Other colors in the VIRS composite are related to degree of space weathering and iron content of the surface materials.
Date Created: April 24, 2012 Instruments: Visible and Infrared Spectrograph (VIRS) of the Mercury Atmosphere and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS), and Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) VIRS Color Composite Wavelengths: 575 nm as red, 415 nm/750 nm as green, 310 nm/390 nm as blue Center Latitude: -4.5° Center Longitude: 244.7° E Resolution: 1 km/pixel Scale: Crater Mena (upper left of mosaics) is 15 km (9 mi) across
Date acquired: April 08, 2012 Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 242378498 Image ID: 1621634 Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) Center Latitude: -2.80° Center Longitude: 212.7° E Resolution: 186 meters/pixel Scale: Zeami crater is 129 km (80 mi) in diameter. Incidence Angle: 79.7° Emission Angle: 26.7° Phase Angle: 52.9°
This sinusoidal equal area projection map shows a color composite of Mercury spectral reflectance observed by the MASCS VIRS instrument over the MESSENGER primary mission. VIRS footprint tracks are RGB-colored where red is brightness at 575 nm; green is the visible to infrared brightness ratio (415 nm / 750 nm); and blue is the ultraviolet to visible ratio (310 nm / 390 nm).
Broad regional differences and local areas of interest stand out with combinations of ratio and brightness values that give clues to mineralogical composition. Younger surface materials that are brighter at visible wavelengths and less affected by the processes of space weathering show up in reds, yellows and greens. Materials that may have relatively higher iron contents (though still very low relative to most lunar or terrestrialcrustalrocks) show up in blues.
In locations where multiple VIRS footprints cover the same area, the footprint with the best illumination for mineralogical interpretation (usually the lowest incidence angle where shadows are minimized) is used for making the map.
Date Created: April 10, 2012 Instrument: Visible and Infrared Spectrograph (VIRS) of the MESSENGER Atmosphere and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) Center Latitude: 0° Center Longitude: 0° E Resolution: 16 km/pixel