Lermontov Crater (possible Natural Colors; credits: Lunar Explorer Italia)

Lermontov Crater was first observed by Mariner 10 and seen more recently by MESSENGER during its second flyby of Mercury. The Crater fFloor is somewhat brighter than the exterior surface and is smooth with several irregularly shaped depressions.
Such features, similar to those found on the floor of Praxiteles Crater (see PIA12040), may be evidence of past explosive volcanic activity on the Crater Floor. Lermontov appears reddish in enhanced-color views (see PIA11411), suggesting that it has a different composition from the surrounding surface.

Lermontov is named for Mikhail Yurevich Lermontov, a nineteenth-century Russian poet and painter who died from a gunshot suffered in a duel.

Date Acquired: October 6, 2008
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 131771953
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Resolution: 250 meters/pixel (0,16 miles/pixel)
Scale: Lermontov’s diameter is about 152 Km (approx. 94 miles)
Spacecraft Altitude: about 10.000 Km (approx. 6200 miles)

Nota Lunexit: curiosamente, dopo il nostro Color Processing, non è Lermontov ad apparire "rossiccio", a fronte di terreni circostanti grigiastri, bensì l'esatto contrario! Curioso...