Date acquired: August 04, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 49462358
Image ID: 6809127
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 38.03°
Center Longitude: 63.23° E
Resolution: 6 meters/pixel
Scale: This image is 6.1 km (3.8 mi.) wide.
Incidence Angle: 68.7°
Emission Angle: 29.5°
Phase Angle: 78.3°
Of Interest: The smooth, rolling terrain in this high resolution image looks almost like sand dunes or ripples on a beach. The
smooth texture of this
region is due to a blanket of
pyroclastic material from the
volcanic vent located about 85 km to the south of it. To put the size of this image into perspective, a human could run the length of this image in less than an hour (if they could breathe on Mercury, that is!).
This image was acquired as part of the MDIS low-altitude imaging campaign. During MESSENGER's second extended mission, the spacecraft makes a progressively closer approach to Mercury's surface than at any previous point in the mission, enabling the acquisition of high-spatial-resolution data. For spacecraft altitudes below 350 kilometers, NAC images are acquired with pixel scales ranging from 20 meters to as little as 2 meters.
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.
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
For information regarding the use of MESSENGER images, see the image use policy.