The Bubble Crater

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Caption:

This WAC image features a series of three smaller craters to the left of a larger crater. The southernmost of the three features a sharp rim, which suggests it is the youngest of the group. The interior of this crater has a somewhat unusual rounded "bubble-like" mass of slump material around its interior circumference, whereas the two other craters and the large crater at the right edge have flat floors, having been filled in with smooth material. The large crater has a small remaining central peak that rises above the surroundings.

This image was acquired as part of MDIS's high-resolution stereo imaging campaign. Images from the stereo imaging campaign are used in combination with the surface morphology base map or the albedo base map to create high-resolution stereo views of Mercury's surface, with an average resolution of 200 meters/pixel. Viewing the surface under the same Sun illumination conditions but from two or more viewing angles enables information about the small-scale topography of Mercury's surface to be obtained.

Date acquired: February 02, 2012
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 236660195
Image ID: 1343047
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: 21.85°
Center Longitude: 94.08° E
Resolution: 266 meters/pixel
Scale: The large crater at the right edge is about 60 km (37 mi.) in diameter.
Incidence Angle: 56.1°
Emission Angle: 16.3°
Phase Angle: 58.3°

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. Visit the Why Mercury? section of this website to learn more about the key science questions that the MESSENGER mission is addressing. During the one-year primary mission, MDIS acquired 88,746 images and extensive other data sets. MESSENGER is now in a year-long extended mission, during which plans call for the acquisition of more than 80,000 additional images to support MESSENGER's science goals.

These images are from MESSENGER, a NASA Discovery mission to conduct the first orbital study of the innermost planet, Mercury. For information regarding the use of images, see the MESSENGER image use policy .

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