Secondary Crater Chains (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)

This image, taken with the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC), shows a pair of Secondary Crater Chains. These features are formed when Ejecta from a Primary iImpact is thrown outward from the growing crater cavity. As chunks of Ejecta fall back to the Surface, they can form Chains of Secondary Craters that often overlap.

This image was acquired as part of MDIS's High-Resolution Surface Morphology Base Map. The surface morphology base map will cover more than 90% of Mercury's Surface with an average resolution of approx. 250 meters/pixel (0,16 miles/pixel or 820 feet/pixel).
Images acquired for the Surface Morphology Base Map typically have off-vertical Sun angles (such as High Solar Incidence Angles, meaning low Sun over the Local Horizon ) and visible shadows so as to reveal clearly the topographic form of geologic features.

Date acquired: October 28, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 228324766
Image ID: 943677
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 2,94° North
Center Longitude: 160,5° East
Resolution: 193 meters/pixel
Scale: this frame is about 100 Km (approx. 62 miles) across
Solar Incidence Angle: 87,3° (meaning that the Sun is about 2,7° above the Local Horizon)
Emission Angle: 17,3°
Sun-Mercury-MESSENGER (or "Phase") Angle: 104,7°