Ailey Crater

This image shows us a spectacular high-resolution view of newly named Ailey crater. Ailey is one of 23 Mercury craters recently assigned names by the IAU, and is named for the 20th century choreographer and activist Alvin Ailey. Ailey was best known for his role in revolutionizing African-American participation in 20th century concert dance and popularizing modern dance with pieces like his signature 1960 work, Revelations. Like its namesake, Ailey crater has revelations of its own, as landslides expose fresh material along the crater walls.

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°

Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington