Mercury Global Map

A global color map of Mercury's surface has been created by mosaicking thousands of sets of images obtained by the MESSENGER Wide Angle Camera (WAC). The colors shown here are related to variations in the spectral reflectance across the planet. This view captures both compositional differences and differences in how long materials have been exposed at Mercury's surface. Young crater rays, arrayed radially around fresh impact craters, appear light blue or white. Medium- and dark-blue areas are a geologic unit of Mercury's crust known as the "low-reflectance material," thought to be rich in a dark, opaque mineral. Tan areas are plains formed by eruption of highly fluid lavas. The large circular area near the top center is the Caloris impact basin, whose interior is filled with smooth, somewhat younger volcanic plains. Small orangish spots are materials deposited by explosive volcanic eruptions.

The color base map shown here consists of MDIS images taken through eight different color filters. It is part of a global color map that covers more than 99% of Mercury's surface with an average resolution of about 1 kilometer per pixel.

Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS). This is an enhanced-color presentation created from a statistical combination of images taken through eight of the WAC filters.

Video credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington; text credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Note: Available on the original NASA webpage are two different size maps available for download: a smaller 6.5 MB video and a larger 23 MB video.

Mercury Spectral Reflectance Map

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 terrestrial crustal rocks) 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

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

Spectral Map of Mercury

This sinusoidal equal area projection map shows the ground coverage on Mercury by the MASCS VIRS instrument. The coverage tracks are shaded by brightness measured by VIRS at 750 nm. A pixel is counted as 'observed' if any portion of it is covered by a VIRS footprint. By this method, over 81% of the surface has been observed in the primary mission of MESSENGER, with more to come in the extended mission. In locations where multiple VIRS footprints cover the same area, the footprint with the best viewing geometry (usually the lowest incidence angle) is counted for coverage, and for making spectral maps of the surface. These spectral maps are helping the MESSENGER team understand the composition and mineralogy of Mercury's surface.

Date Created: April 2, 2012
Instrument: Visible and Infrared Spectrograph (VIRS) of the MESSENGER Atmosphere and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS)
Center Latitude: 0°
Center Longitude: 0° E
Resolution: 20 km/pixel

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