MESSENGER Image of Mercury: Prominent Rays From A Crater

Of Interest: This image shows the interior of a crater about 170 kilometers in diameter, just north of Munkacsy. A more recent impact event to the west threw ejecta outward, some of which was caught by the floor of this crater, creating the bright rays seen here.

This image was acquired as part of MDIS’s high-resolution surface morphology base map. The surface morphology base map will cover more than 90% of Mercury’s surface with an average resolution of 250 meters/pixel (0.16 miles/pixel or 820 feet/pixel). Images acquired for the surface morphology base map typically have off-vertical Sun angles (i.e., high incidence angles) and visible shadows so as to reveal clearly the topographic form of geologic features.

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 is scheduled to acquire more than 75,000 images in support of MESSENGER’s science goals.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington. More information

Date acquired: August 09, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 221411943
Image ID: 611919
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: 33.60°
Center Longitude: 99.29° E
Resolution: 95 meters/pixel
Scale: This scene is approximately 130 kilometers (80 miles) across
Incidence Angle: 62.7°
Emission Angle: 11.4°
Phase Angle: 51.2°