Date acquired: July 20, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 219648850
Image ID: 528062
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: 64.68°
Center Longitude: 61.54° E
Resolution: 143 meters/pixel
Scale: The edges of the scene are about 260 km (162 mi.) long
Incidence Angle: 73.4°
Emission Angle: 0.2°
Phase Angle: 73.5°
North is up in this image.

Of Interest: This image shows territory within Mercury's northern volcanic plains, a vast region that was flooded by eruptions of large quantities of highly fluid lava. The plains are relatively smooth, with some ghost craters and wrinkle ridges visible. The southern rim of the crater Egonu is at the very top corner of the image, and the southern and western portion of Monk crater is in the middle of the right top edge.

This image was acquired as part of MDIS's high-resolution surface morphology base map. The surface morphology base map covers more than 99% of Mercury's surface with an average resolution of 200 meters/pixel. Images acquired for the surface morphology base map typically are obtained at off-vertical Sun angles (i.e., high incidence angles) and have 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. 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.