Titian Crater (extremely enhanced Natural Colors; credits: NASA and Lunar Explorer Italia)

This enhanced-color image shows Titian Crater (center) and is similar to an image that recently appeared in the 1st of May 2009 issue of Science magazine.

The enhanced-color view was created by using high-resolution images taken in all 11 WAC filers (one of which is shown in a previously released image, see PIA11765) and comparing and contrasting them to accentuate differences on Mercury’s Surface. Such color differences can be used to learn about the history of Mercury’s Surface in this area. In the enhanced color, the smooth floor of Titian is a brighter orange color than the surrounding area, likely due to being filled with volcanic material. Ejecta from Titian appear blueish and cover much of the Surface surrounding the Crater. This material was excavated from depth during the Crater’s formation.
Later impacts, such as the one that produced the small crater that appears yellowish in the upper center of the image, excavated material from below the Titian ejecta. This yellow-appearing material was present at or near the surface before the impact that created Titian and is a different composition (and thus, color) from its surroundings. Impacts make it possible to assess how Mercury’s Crust varies with depth and ultimately how the crust evolved through time.

Date Acquired: October 6, 2008
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Resolution: 462 meters/pixel (0,29 miles/pixel)
Scale: Titian crater is about 121 Km (approx. 75 miles) in diameter

Nota Lunexit: curiosa la "chiazza violacea" visibile ad ore 01:00 del Cratere "Tiziano". La NASA, ovviamente, ha commentato tutto, tranne il dettaglio più intrigante. Noi, purtroppo, non possiamo aggiungere nulla, se non ribadire un concetto già espresso dalla NASA più volte, e cioè che "a colore diverso, nei frames colorizzati in natural enhanced colors, corrisponde un materiale diverso". Nulla di più.