Caloris Basin (natural colors; credits: Lunexit)

This natural-color image of Mercury shows the great Caloris Impact Basin (see also PIA10383), visible in this image as a large, circular feature in the center of the picture. The contrast between the colors of the Caloris Basin Floor and those of the surrounding plains indicate that the composition of Mercury's surface is variable. Many additional geological features with intriguing color signatures can be identified in this image. For example, the bright spots just inside the rim of Caloris Basin are thought to mark the location of Volcanic Features, such as the volcano shown in this previously released Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) image PIA10942.

MESSENGER Science Team members are studying these regional color variations in detail, to determine the different mineral compositions of Mercury's surface and to understand the geologic processes that have acted on it. (...)

Date Acquired: January 14, 2008
Image Mission Elapsed Times (MET): 108827278-108827328
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Resolution: about 2,3 Km (approx. 1,4 miles/pixel)
Scale: Caloris Basin is about 1550 Km in diameter (approx. 960 miles)
Spacecraft Altitude: approx. 13.000 Km (about 8000 miles)