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At the left edge of this color view is a relatively fresh crater, featured previously in this oblique view. Chains of secondary craters can be seen emanating from the crater, but its bright rays have already nearly faded into the background. Bright, relatively blue rays do cross the scene from northwest to southeast, but these are the famous rays of Hokusai crater, located over 1000 km away.
This image was acquired as a high-resolution targeted color observation. Targeted color observations are images of a small area on Mercury's surface at resolutions higher than the 1-kilometer/pixel 8-color base map. During MESSENGER's one-year primary mission, hundreds of targeted color observations were obtained. During MESSENGER's extended mission, high-resolution targeted color observations are more rare, as the 3-color base map covered Mercury's northern hemisphere with the highest-resolution color images that are possible.
Date acquired: July 05, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 46889179, 46889199, 46889183
Image ID: 6626955, 6626960, 6626956
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: 34.02°
Center Longitude: 39.36° E
Resolution: 223 meters/pixel
Scale: This scene is approximately 260 km (160 miles) across
Incidence Angle: 35.5°
Emission Angle: 45.6°
Phase Angle: 78.2°
Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
In the top left part of this image is Seuss, a complex crater with hollows present on the crater's floor. In this enhanced color image, the hollows appear as bright blue-white features. Just outside of Seuss' rim, you can see some material that appears darker brown in the image. This is LRM, or Low Reflectance Material, and was probably excavated by the impactor when Seuss was formed. Extending from Seuss are bright crater rays, which are streams of ejecta that were thrown from the crater upon impact. In the bottom right of the image, you can see an irregularly shaped, orange-yellow depression that could be a volcanic vent.
This image was acquired as part of MDIS's high-resolution 3-color imaging campaign. The map produced from this campaign complements the 8-color base map (at an average resolution of 1 km/pixel) acquired during MESSENGER's primary mission by imaging Mercury's surface in a subset of the color filters at the highest resolution possible. The three narrow-band color filters are centered at wavelengths of 430 nm, 750 nm, and 1000 nm, and image resolutions generally range from 100 to 400 meters/pixel in the northern hemisphere.
Date acquired: July 08, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 47121909, 47121901, 47121905
Image ID: 6643252, 6643250, 6643251
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: 2.83º
Center Longitude: 37.11º E
Resolution: 528 meters/pixel
Scale: Seuss is 64 km (40 miles) in diameter
Incidence Angle: 15.8º
Emission Angle: 12.2º
Phase Angle: 28.0º
Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Today's color image features a small crater in Mercury's northern hemisphere. This relatively young crater is highlighted by its striking white rays, which contrast the darker, surrounding terrain of low reflectance material. The bright rays result from fine-grained and relatively unweathered material that was ejected and deposited by the impact.
This image was acquired as a targeted high-resolution 11-color image set. Acquiring 11-color targets is a new campaign that began in March 2013 and that utilizes all of the WAC's 11 narrow-band color filters. Because of the large data volume involved, only features of special scientific interest are targeted for imaging in all 11 colors.
Date acquired: July 08, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 47178430, 47178426, 47178424
Image ID: 6647334, 6647332, 6647331
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: 43.97°
Center Longitude: 34.76° E
Resolution: 348 meters/pixel
Scale: The crater on the right of this image is approximately 16 km (10 miles) across
Incidence Angle: 45.9°
Emission Angle: 1.6°
Phase Angle: 44.9°
Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
This image features an elongated impact crater north of Rembrandt impact basin. This crater was most likely formed by a oblique impact (less than 15 degrees from the horizontal), which created the crater's distinct elongated shape and central peak. This crater's rays have faded over time due to space weathering, but when they were still visible, they would have formed a butterfly pattern from the crater's rim.
This image was acquired as part of MDIS's high-resolution surface morphology base map. The surface morphology base map covers more than 99% of Mercury's surface with an average resolution of 200 meters/pixel. Images acquired for the surface morphology base map typically are obtained at off-vertical Sun angles (i.e., high incidence angles) and have visible shadows so as to reveal clearly the topographic form of geologic features.
Date acquired: July 04, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 46777429
Image ID: 6618818
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: -18.60°
Center Longitude: 95.44° E
Resolution: 162 meters/pixel
Scale: The oblong impact is about 34.2 km (21.3 miles) long and 19.3 km (12 miles) wide.
Incidence Angle: 65.0°
Emission Angle: 31.8°
Phase Angle: 41.1°
Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
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The top image is a MASCS VIRS interpolated color composite of craters Eminescu (center), with Xiao Zhao and Eastman toward the east and in Mercury's mid-latitudes. The bottom image is a monochrome MDIS mosaic of the same area. Yellow areas correspond to high values in both the red and green channels, that is, high reflectance (at 575 nm) and high values of the 415-nm/575-nm reflectance ratio. In some cases these spectral characteristics are associated with fresh material (like the rays of Xiao Zhao) that has been less affected by space weathering. Hollows, such as those found on and around the central peak of Eminescu, have similar colors.
The VIRS composite shows hundreds of individual footprints tracks (minimum 100-200 m across and 3-4 km long) taken from different directions and altitudes. In locations where multiple 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. In areas where footprints are sparse (separated by tens of km), observations are interpolated for complete coverage of the surface. In the MDIS mosaic, some brightness variations are due to tiling of images taken at different illuminations.
Date Created: June 16, 2014
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: 10.0°
Center Longitude: 114.3° E
Resolution: 1 km/pixel
Scale: Eminescu crater(center) is about 130 km (80 mi.) in diameter
Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Today's image features an explosion of stunning rays, radiating from a crater located near Mercury's equator. The bright ejecta rays result from impacts ejecting subsurface material. Because the subsurface material is relatively unweathered compared to the nearby surface terrain, the rays appear a bright white in this color image.
This image was acquired as a targeted high-resolution 11-color image set. Acquiring 11-color targets is a new campaign that began in March 2013 and that utilizes all of the WAC's 11 narrow-band color filters. Because of the large data volume involved, only features of special scientific interest are targeted for imaging in all 11 colors.
Date acquired: December 10, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 28990861, 28990857, 28990855
Image ID: 5355052, 5355050, 5355049
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: -0.68°
Center Longitude: 95.97° E
Resolution: 685 meters/pixel
Scale: The image is approximately 566 km (352 miles) across
Incidence Angle: 32.6°
Emission Angle: 49.5°
Phase Angle: 82.1°
Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Bartok, a large complex crater in Mercury's southern hemisphere, is located in the center of the frame. In this colored image, Bartok's central peak appears to be blue and is darker than the surrounding surface. This suggests that the central uplift is composed of material that has different properties than the surrounding terrain, providing clues to the geologic history of the region. To the southwest of Bartok, a young crater with stunning rays is also visible.
This image was acquired as a targeted high-resolution 11-color image set. Acquiring 11-color targets is a new campaign that began in March 2013 and that utilizes all of the WAC's 11 narrow-band color filters. Because of the large data volume involved, only features of special scientific interest are targeted for imaging in all 11 colors.
Date acquired: November 12, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 26540775, 26540771, 26540769
Image ID: 5180966, 5180964, 5180963
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: -29.48°
Center Longitude: 224.9° E
Resolution: 1350 meters/pixel
Scale: This image's central crater has a diameter of approximately 117 km (73 miles)
Incidence Angle: 51.4°
Emission Angle: 27.9°
Phase Angle: 79.0°
Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
The troughs of Raditladi are the focus of this high-resolution view inside the peak-ring basin. The troughs, which are largely concentric to the basin, formed through extensional stresses that caused portions of the floor to pull apart. Such extensional features are similar to those observed within Caloris. Some of the small, bright craters that dot Raditladi's floor may be secondaries from Fonteyn crater approximately 900 km away, whose rays appear to cross the basin.
This image was acquired as a high-resolution targeted observation. Targeted observations are images of a small area on Mercury's surface at resolutions much higher than the 200-meter/pixel morphology base map. It is not possible to cover all of Mercury's surface at this high resolution, but typically several areas of high scientific interest are imaged in this mode each week.
Date acquired: April 30, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 41150312
Image ID: 6219297
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 27.79°
Center Longitude: 119.4° E
Resolution: 38 meters/pixel
Scale: This scene is approximately 46 km (29 miles) across
Incidence Angle: 63.9°
Emission Angle: 33.0°
Phase Angle: 97.0°
Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Most meteorites are pieces of asteroids. About 130 meteorites have been linked to an origin on the planet Mars, and nearly 200 meteorites originated on the Moon. No meteorite has been convincingly shown to have come from Mercury. Impact cratering events on Mercury may blast material off the surface, but it is much more difficult for such material to move into an orbit that could intersect the orbit of Earth, compared with material derived from the Moon or Mars. In 1992, Stan Love and Klaus Keil published a study describing the likely characteristics of a Mercurian meteorite. A recent re-look at the topic of meteorites from Mercury, by Will Vaughan and Jim Head, pointed out that the dynamics of ejection are such that the most likely locations for source craters on Mercury are in regions centered on 90° and 270° E longitude.
Fonteyn crater, shown in today's gallery image, is a fresh 29-km diameter impact structure centered at about 33° N and 95° E, within the probable zone noted by Vaughan and Head. Fonteyn has a somewhat asymmetrical pattern of bright rays, suggesting that it formed in an oblique impact, which may favor ejection of material at speeds greater than escape velocity. Could the Fonteyn impact have launched material that has fallen on Earth, or is on its way?
This mosaic is a portion of MDIS's high-resolution surface morphology base map. The surface morphology base map covers more than 99% of Mercury's surface with an average resolution of 200 meters/pixel. Images acquired for the surface morphology base map typically are obtained at off-vertical Sun angles (i.e., high incidence angles) and have visible shadows so as to reveal clearly the topographic form of geologic features.
Image: This is a portion of the MDIS monochrome base map mosaic.
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Scale: The scene is about 730 km (450 mi.) wide.
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Presented here is a fine view of the 75-km diameter crater Rimbaud. Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet who lived from 1854 to 1891. He had a stormy relationship with Paul Verlaine, a symbolist poet. In Brussels in 1873, Verlaine shot Rimbaud, wounding him in the wrist. No crater named Verlaine exists on Mercury. A Verlaine crater on Mars was named for a town in France. Crossing the eastern floor and wall of Rimbaud from south to north is a ray from crater Han Kan.
This image was acquired as a targeted set of stereo images. Targeted stereo observations are acquired at resolutions much higher than that of the 200-meter/pixel stereo base map. These targets acquired with the NAC enable the detailed topography of Mercury's surface to be determined for a local area of interest.
Date acquired: November 12, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 26596630
Image ID: 5185060
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: -63.38°
Center Longitude: 211.7° E
Resolution: 147 meters/pixel
Scale: Rimbaud crater is about 75 km (46.5 mi.) across.
Incidence Angle: 67.4°
Emission Angle: 22.9°
Phase Angle: 71.8°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
In this dramatic image, Dominici crater takes center-stage. Dominici is 20 km (12 mi.) in diameter, and hosts a variety of landforms including a sharp crater rim, internal slumps, and abundant hollows. Dominici is also a rayed crater, which, together with its well-preserved rim, indicate that the crater is relatively young. This scene, taken from an oblique angle, gives us a good idea of what the surface of Mercury might look like from a spacecraft window as we zoom overhead!
This image was acquired as a high-resolution targeted observation. Targeted observations are images of a small area on Mercury's surface at resolutions much higher than the 200-meter/pixel morphology base map. It is not possible to cover all of Mercury's surface at this high resolution, but typically several areas of high scientific interest are imaged in this mode each week.
Date acquired: January 30, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 33401837
Image ID: 5668405
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 1.1° N
Center Longitude: 323.5° E
Resolution: 79 meters/pixel
Scale: The crater in the image center is 20 km (about 12 mi.) across
Incidence Angle: 36.2°
Emission Angle: 41.8°
Phase Angle: 77.4°
North is to the bottom in this image
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
The hollows-covered floor of Kertesz, located near the center of this image, distinguishes it from the other craters in this enhanced-color scene. A 3-kilometer crater also features prominently in this image despite its small size, due to its extensive set of young, bright rays. Both of these features are located on the floor of the great Caloris basin, which is a host to a variety of interesting tectonic features, including the troughs visible on the east side of this image.
This image was acquired as a high-resolution targeted color observation. Targeted color observations are images of a small area on Mercury's surface at resolutions higher than the 1-kilometer/pixel 8-color base map. During MESSENGER's one-year primary mission, hundreds of targeted color observations were obtained. During MESSENGER's extended mission, high-resolution targeted color observations are more rare, as the 3-color base map covered Mercury's northern hemisphere with the highest-resolution color images that are possible.
Date acquired: November 01, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 25622919, 25622939, 25622923
Image ID: 5115429, 5115434, 5115430
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: 27.16°
Center Longitude: 146.1° E
Resolution: 272 meters/pixel
Scale: Kertesz has a diameter of 32 kilometers (20 miles)
Incidence Angle: 42.4°
Emission Angle: 36.9°
Phase Angle: 78.2°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
The Tolstoj basin (355 km in diameter) can be seen at the bottom edge of the frame, its center filled with smooth plains and surrounded by a large region of low-reflectance ejecta. The fresh, bright-rayed crater Nureyev is visible near the limb.
This image was acquired as part of MDIS's limb imaging campaign. Once per week, MDIS captures images of Mercury's limb, with an emphasis on imaging the southern hemisphere limb. These limb images provide information about Mercury's shape and complement measurements of topography made by the Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) of Mercury's northern hemisphere.
Date acquired: November 21, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 27346412
Image ID: 5238318
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: -4.37°
Center Longitude: 188.8° E
Resolution: 1015 meters/pixel
Incidence Angle: 14.6°
Emission Angle: 58.8°
Phase Angle: 63.2°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Here we get a closer look at the fresh, bright-rayed crater Mena. Solidified impact melt forms a smooth pond on the western side of the crater floor. This asymmetry is due to the fact that Mena formed on the sloping rim of an older crater, as seen in this wider view.
This image was acquired as a targeted set of stereo images. Targeted stereo observations are acquired at resolutions much higher than that of the 200-meter/pixel stereo base map. These targets acquired with the NAC enable the detailed topography of Mercury's surface to be determined for a local area of interest.
Date acquired: November 13, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 26657614
Image ID: 5189176
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: -0.24°
Center Longitude: 235.3° E
Resolution: 37 meters/pixel
Scale: Mena crater has a diameter of 15 km (9 miles)
Incidence Angle: 54.7°
Emission Angle: 23.4°
Phase Angle: 71.0°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
The bright, rayed crater Nureyev is at center stage in this dramatic view toward Mercury's eastern limb. The crater's namesake is the Soviet/British ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who died in 1993. This set of color images was obtained at a relatively small phase angle and consequently is dominated by variations in the inherent reflectance and color of the surface. The shape of the crater can be better perceived in an image with a larger phase angle, allowing shadows and shading to reveal the topography of the surface.
This image was acquired as part of MDIS's high-resolution 3-color imaging campaign. The map produced from this campaign complements the 8-color base map (at an average resolution of 1 km/pixel) acquired during MESSENGER's primary mission by imaging Mercury's surface in a subset of the color filters at the highest resolution possible. The three narrow-band color filters are centered at wavelengths of 430 nm, 750 nm, and 1000 nm, and image resolutions generally range from 100 to 400 meters/pixel in the northern hemisphere.
Date acquired: June 17, 2012
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 248431526, 248431518, 248431522
Image ID: 2033219, 2033217, 2033218
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: 12.6°
Center Longitude: 187.0° E
Resolution: 660 meters/pixel
Scale: Nureyev crater is about 16 km (10 mi.) in diameter
Incidence Angle: 26.0°
Emission Angle: 54.1°
Phase Angle: 28.0°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
In the center of this image is a high-reflectance area that seems to be confined to a region of lower elevation that is bounded by linear scarp (cliff) segments. Such diffuse bright areas are sometimes related to the deposition of small secondary craters and ray segments by a relatively recent impact crater, but looking at regional images (for example, using QuickMap), there are no rayed craters in the immediate vicinity (though Han Kan might be a candidate). Therefore, a compositional difference may account for the difference in the albedo (brightness) of the material in the low-lying area. Are the scarps tectonic in nature (the result of vertical movement along faults), or were they formed by secondary crater chains? Also of interest in the scene are hollows on the central peak of the crater at the upper left, and the smooth impact melt on the floor of the terrace-walled crater just below center. Scientists will be at work for many years to solve the puzzle of Mercury's complicated geological history!
This image was acquired as part of the NAC ride-along imaging campaign. When data volume is available and MDIS is not acquiring images for its other campaigns, high-resolution NAC images are obtained of the surface. These images are designed not to interfere with other instrument observations but take full advantage of periods during the mission when extra data volume is available.
Date acquired: May 19, 2012
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 245904903
Image ID: 1853014
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: -47.3°
Center Longitude: 177.3° E
Resolution: 179 meters/pixel
Scale: The scene is about 184 km (114 mi.) across
Incidence Angle: 47.7°
Emission Angle: 24.2°
Phase Angle: 71.9°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Today's image features an unnamed crater located north of the crater Couperin. Although this crater is only about 6 km (3.7 mi.) in diameter, its bright rays cause it to stand out prominently in regional views of the planet. The rays are particularly distinctive because they fade into the blacker background of low reflectance material.
This image was acquired as a targeted high-resolution 11-color image set. Acquiring 11-color targets is a new campaign that began in March 2013 and that utilizes all of the WAC's 11 narrow-band color filters. Because of the large data volume involved, only features of special scientific interest are targeted for imaging in all 11 colors.
Date acquired: October 19, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 24470528, 24470520, 24470516
Image ID: 5033545, 5033543, 5033542
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: 35.86°
Center Longitude: 207.9° E
Resolution: 207 meters/pixel
Scale: This image is roughly 285 km (177 mi.) from corner to corner diagonally.
Incidence Angle: 37.1°
Emission Angle: 9.1°
Phase Angle: 41.6°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
What a difference a week makes. Today's featured image was acquired earlier this month, one week after this image (PIA17579), showing how the lighting conditions change in an Earth week (but only about 4% of a Mercury day). Can you spot the crater with the prominent secondary chains? With the Sun now a bit higher above this crater (located about a quarter of the way up from the bottom of the frame), its floor appears smooth, and its crater chains can still be seen to stretch far from its rim.
This image was acquired as part of MDIS's limb imaging campaign. Once per week, MDIS captures images of Mercury's limb, with an emphasis on imaging the southern hemisphere limb. These limb images provide information about Mercury's shape and complement measurements of topography made by the Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) of Mercury's northern hemisphere.
Date acquired: October 09, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 23629938
Image ID: 4974132
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: -43.49°
Center Longitude: 150.4° E
Resolution: 1085 meters/pixel
Incidence Angle: 77.7°
Emission Angle: 57.7°
Phase Angle: 132.9°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Another day, another beautiful view of Mercury's horizon. In this scene, which was acquired looking from the shadows toward the sunlit side of the planet, a 120-km (75 mile) impact crater stands out near the center. Emanating from this unnamed crater are striking chains of secondary craters, which gouged linear tracks radially away from the crater. While this crater is not especially fresh (its rays have faded into the background), it does appear to have more prominent secondary crater chains than many of its peers.
This image was acquired as part of MDIS's limb imaging campaign. Once per week, MDIS captures images of Mercury's limb, with an emphasis on imaging the southern hemisphere limb. These limb images provide information about Mercury's shape and complement measurements of topography made by the Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) of Mercury's northern hemisphere.
Date acquired: October 02, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 23055902
Image ID: 4933174
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: -52.13°
Center Longitude: 167.5° E
Resolution: 667 meters/pixel
Incidence Angle: 82.0°
Emission Angle: 69.4°
Phase Angle: 122.4°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
First seen by Mariner 10 in 1974, Tansen has not been featured on MESSENGER's gallery until today. It is among Mercury's smaller named craters at just 27 kilometers (~17 mi.) in diameter. The ejecta rays formed by the impact appear prominent in this color mosaic, as does the small, fresh crater ejecta deposit at the very top of the image.
This image was acquired as a targeted high-resolution 11-color image set. Acquiring 11-color targets is a new campaign that began in March 2013 and that utilizes all of the WAC's 11 narrow-band color filters. Because of the large data volume involved, only features of special scientific interest are targeted for imaging in all 11 colors.
Date acquired: September 09, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 21069217, 21069209, 21069205
Image ID: 4791897, 4791895, 4791894
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: 3.84°
Center Longitude: 288.4° E
Resolution: 301 meters/pixel
Scale: Tansen is approximately 27 kilometers (17 mi.) in diameter
Incidence Angle: 31.7°
Emission Angle: 24.5°
Phase Angle: 56.2°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
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