|
A Diamond in the Rough
- Click the image above for a larger view
- Full-Res JPEG (565 x 522) (37.6 kB)
- Full-Res TIFF (565 x 522) (295.5 kB)
Caption:
This image presents an especially unusual feature on Mercury's surface. While at first glance it appears to be a small impact crater with an unusually large central peak, it may in fact be a volcanic edifice, such as a pyroclastic vent .
This image was acquired as part of MDIS's high-incidence-angle base map. The high-incidence-angle base map is a major mapping activity in MESSENGER's extended mission and complements the surface morphology base map of MESSENGER's primary mission that was acquired under generally more moderate incidence angles. High incidence angles, achieved when the Sun is near the horizon, result in long shadows that accentuate the small-scale topography of geologic features. The high-incidence-angle base map is being acquired with an average resolution of 200 meters/pixel.
Date acquired:
April 07, 2012
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET):
242253095
Image ID:
1615411
Instrument:
Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude:
-4.09°
Center Longitude:
223.3° E
Resolution:
190 meters/pixel
Scale:
This crater is approximately 27 km (16.7 miles) across
Incidence Angle:
74.0°
Emission Angle:
23.6°
Phase Angle:
50.3°
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 .
Cataloging Keywords:
| Name | Value | Additional Values |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Mercury | |
| System | ||
| Target Type | Planet | |
| Mission | MESSENGER | |
| Instrument Host | MESSENGER | |
| Host Type | Orbiter | |
| Instrument | Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) | |
| Detector | Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) | |
| Extra Keywords | Crater, Grayscale, Impact, Map, Radio, Shadow, Volcano | |
| Acquisition Date | ||
| Release Date | 2012-08-13 | |
| Date in Caption | 2012-04-07 | |
| Image Credit | NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington | |
| Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA16380 | |
| Identifier | PIA16380 | |
