Messenger

[greygirlbeast]

On January 14, 2008, the MESSENGER spacecraft observed about half of the hemisphere missed by Mariner 10. This image was snapped by the Wide Angle Camera, part of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) instrument, about 80 minutes after MESSENGER's closest approach to Mercury (2:04 p.m. EST), when the spacecraft was at a distance of about 27,000 kilometers (about 17,000 miles). The image shows features as small as 10 kilometers (6 miles) in size. This image was taken through a filter sensitive to light near the red end of the visible spectrum (750 nm), one of a sequence of images taken through each of MDIS’s 11 filters..

Like the previously mapped portion of Mercury, this hemisphere appears heavily cratered. It also reveals some unique and distinctive features. On the upper right is the giant Caloris basin, including its western portions never before seen by spacecraft. Formed by the impact of a large asteroid or comet, Caloris is one of the largest, and perhaps one of the youngest, basins in the Solar System. The new image shows the complete basin interior and reveals that it is brighter than the surrounding regions and may therefore have a different composition. Darker smooth plains completely surround Caloris, and many unusual dark-rimmed craters are observed inside the basin. Several other multi-ringed basins are seen in this image for the first time. Prominent fault scarps (large ridges) lace the newly viewed region.

Days I am glad I have lived so long. Few and far between, but still they do occur.

Comments

[lomer.livejournal.com]

That picture is stunning.

Mercury?

[cliff52.livejournal.com]

What would a resident of Mercury be called?

Re: Mercury?

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

What would a resident of Mercury be called?

Were such a thing possible on a planet where there is no atmosphere to speak of and the surface temperature varies from about −180 to 430 °C, I'd call them Mercurians. :-)

Mercurians

[cliff52.livejournal.com]

Frank R. Paul is way ahead of us -

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Inhabitants-of-Mercury-Posters_i1866618_.htm

[shinysayyadina.livejournal.com]

So beautiful--thank you!

[corucia.livejournal.com]

I've been following this off and on for a while. There's a lot more pictures to come! One blog that's had good info is:

http://www.badastronomy.com/

Regards, David

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

One blog that's had good info is:

Thanks for the link!

[kazdreamer.livejournal.com]

I've been feeling really down the last few days - looking at that picture made my heart expand. The universe feels magical again.

[greygirlbeast.livejournal.com]

I've been feeling really down the last few days - looking at that picture made my heart expand. The universe feels magical again.

Then I am pleased.