Date acquired: October 05, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 23291305
Image ID: 4949563
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: -11.95°
Center Longitude: 304.0° E
Resolution: 90 meters/pixel
Scale: Hopper has a diameter of 36 kilometers (22 miles)
Incidence Angle: 68.8°
Emission Angle: 4.7°
Phase Angle: 64.0°
Of Interest: This recently acquired image shows the crater Hopper, whose floor is home to a collection of
hollows. Hopper's hollows bear a resemblance to the
spectacular system of hollows seen on the floor of
Kertesz crater. Hopper was
named in December 2012 for the American painter Edward Hopper, whose most famous painting is
Nighthawks.
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.
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.