Sculpted Rim and Floor

• Click the image above for a larger view
• Full-Res JPEG (2368 x 1846) (350.1 kB)
• Full-Res TIFF (2368 x 1846) (4.4 MB)

Caption:

At the center of this view is the 92-km (57-mi.) diameter impact crater Savage. The rim of the crater has been chiseled and degraded by subsequent impacts, and the floor has been filled with volcanic plains . The plains have been modified by compressive forces that produced lobate scarps .

The crater Savage is named for Augusta Fells Savage (1892-1962), an American sculptor. She was associated with the Harlem Renaissance and often worked in clay and plaster. A visual arts public high school in Baltimore, Maryland is also named for Augusta Savage.

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: July 07, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 47066867
Image ID: 6639150
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: -8.70°
Center Longitude: 92.49° E
Resolution: 182 meters/pixel
Scale: This image measures about 197 by 340 km (122 x 211 mi.)
Incidence Angle: 69.6°
Emission Angle: 56.7°
Phase Angle: 34.3°
North is up in this image.

Background Info:

The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the Solar System's innermost planet. During the first two years of orbital operations, MESSENGER acquired over 150,000 images and extensive other data sets. MESSENGER is capable of continuing orbital operations until early 2015.

For information regarding the use of images, see the MESSENGER image use policy .

Cataloging Keywords: