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A new color mosaic created from MESSENGER images is now available! This mosaic was part of a release on March 7, 2014 by NASA's Planetary Data System (PDS). A portion of the new color mosaic is shown here; can you find the craters Debussy, Derain, Berkel, and Warhol in this view? Explore the full 3-color mosaic (and confirm the locations of these craters) in QuickMap.
The images for MDIS's high-resolution 3-color mosaic were acquired during MESSENGER's second year in orbit about Mercury. The 3-color mosaic was designed to complement the 8-color base map acquired during MESSENGER's primary mission. By imaging Mercury's surface in a subset of the color filters at the highest resolution possible, the 3-color mosaic is available at 332 meters/pixel,as compared to 665 meters/pixel for the 8-color mosaic.
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: -14.9°
Center Longitude: 10.3° E
Resolution: 332 meters/pixel
Scale: Derain has a diameter of 167 km (104 miles)
Projection: simple cylindrical
Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
The Warhol crater hosts one of the best collections of hollows found on Mercury's surface. The crater's central peak is surrounded by a network of small hollows and a smooth floor formed from impact melt. The hollows seen in the Warhol crater have high albedos, making them easy to see.
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: September 23, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 22253846
Image ID: 4875892
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: -2.55°
Center Longitude: 354.1° E
Resolution: 79 meters/pixel
Scale: Warhol is about 91 km (~57 mi.) in diameter
Incidence Angle: 78.5°
Emission Angle: 35.1°
Phase Angle: 113.6°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Today's image is presented in the Pop Art style of American artist Andy Warhol. The upper left panel is the original MDIS three-color image. The other three panels are colorized to simulate Warhol's iconic silk-screened paintings. The name Warhol was recently approved by the International Astronomical Union for the large impact crater at the center of the scene. Warhol crater has an unusual elongated central peak, a smooth floor probably formed from impact melt, and abundant hollows.
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°
Photo credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
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