 Click on image to enlarge. | Hollowed HillsRelease Date: October 16, 2012 Topics: Hollows, Rough Terrain |
Date acquired: August 26, 2012
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 254512139
Image ID: 2465342
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 34.53°
Center Longitude: 282.3° E
Resolution: 29 meters/pixel
Scale: This scene is approximately 52 km (32 mi.) across
Incidence Angle: 80.3°
Emission Angle: 56.0°
Phase Angle: 136.3°
Of Interest: Hollows are now known to be a relatively common feature on Mercury, dotting crater floors, walls, and peaks. The sharp walls and well-defined features of the hollows in today's featured image stand out against the muted background terrain, indicating they are substantially younger than their surroundings. Could they still be forming today?
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. 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, MESSENGER acquired 88,746 images and extensive other data sets. MESSENGER is now in a yearlong extended mission, during which plans call for the acquisition of more than 80,000 additional images to support MESSENGER's science goals.
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 254512139
Image ID: 2465342
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 34.53°
Center Longitude: 282.3° E
Resolution: 29 meters/pixel
Scale: This scene is approximately 52 km (32 mi.) across
Incidence Angle: 80.3°
Emission Angle: 56.0°
Phase Angle: 136.3°
Of Interest: Hollows are now known to be a relatively common feature on Mercury, dotting crater floors, walls, and peaks. The sharp walls and well-defined features of the hollows in today's featured image stand out against the muted background terrain, indicating they are substantially younger than their surroundings. Could they still be forming today?
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. 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, MESSENGER acquired 88,746 images and extensive other data sets. MESSENGER is now in a yearlong extended mission, during which plans call for the acquisition of more than 80,000 additional images to support MESSENGER's science goals.
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.