Date acquired: March 09, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 36713179, 36713230
Image ID: 5903920, 5903921
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: 64.4°
Center Longitude: 23.8° E
Resolution: 258 meters/pixel
Scale: The buried basin is approximately 180 km (112 miles) across
Incidence Angle: 86.2°
Emission Angle: 51.1°
Phase Angle: 137.3°
Of Interest: A large (180-km diameter) crater occupies the scene, but it has been almost completely buried by the volcanic plains that make up the northern smooth plains. The rim of the buried crater, especially in the southeast, has helped to localize compressional deformation, leading to a
wrinkle-ridge ring. The center is criss-crossed by extensional
graben.
These images were acquired as part of MDIS's high-incidence-angle base map. The high-incidence-angle base map 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 was acquired with an average resolution of 200 meters/pixel.
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.