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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Crater-PIA17290-PCF-LXTT-IPF-1.jpgUnnamed and (relatively) Fresh Impact Crater (EDM - Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)67 visiteThis Absolute Natural Color Image-Mosaic shows us a bright (and, of course, relatively speaking, "fresh") Complex Mercurian Impact Crater - approx. 33 Km (such as about 20,49 miles) in diameter - that exhibits Terraced and Multi-Layered Inner Walls and Slopes - with some Collapse Feature (Mass-Wasting?) here and there -, an also quite Complex Central Peaks' System and, last but not least, the (more than just) possible evidence of a large Pyroclastic Deposit located on it's Eastern Side (---> Dx of the Crater for the Observer), and mostly concentrated in the Region going from about 1 to 4 o'clock of its Outer Surroundings.
Date acquired: November, 6th, 2011
Images Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 229105596, 229105592, 229105588
Images ID: 980566, 980565, 980564
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 25,42° North
Center Longitude: 266,80° East
Solar Incidence Angle: 52,3° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 37,7° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 16,8°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 69,1°
This picture (which is a crop from an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft's false colors Map-Projected image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 17290) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, magnified and then re-colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mercury), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among other things, the existence of different Elements (Minerals) present on the Surface of Mercury, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Crater-PIA18246-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgIntersecting Craters (Absolute Natural Colors - Credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)61 visiteRunning diagonally though the scene (which is approx. 14 Km - such as about 8,69 miles - across), and running from the upper left (Sx) to the lower right (Dx) corner of the frame, you can see the Wall of an ancient Impact Ccrater that encompasses another Impact Crater known as Purcell. Purcell Crater and this other one (both quite large) are both pretty ancient, as evidenced by the numerous small Impact Craters that cover them, including their Walls. Furthermore, this High-Resolution Image taken by the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft on April, 11, 2014, also reveals how the small Impact Craters that formed on the Wall display some differences from the ones which formed on the Flat neighboring Surfaces. Frankly speaking, we, as IPF, honestly believe that the differences (mostly in shape) existing among these smaller Impact Craters that NASA is talknig about, may simply (and reasonalbly) be due to different Angles of Impact, rather than their age and/or the size of the Impactors that created them.
Date acquired: April, 11th, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 39535979
Image ID: 6104625
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 81,25° North
Center Longitude: 212,20° East
Solar Incidence Angle: 81,4° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 8,6° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 36,3°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 82,5
This picture (which is an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft's b/w and Map-Projected image published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 18246) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected, magnified to aid the visibility of the details and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Surface of Mercury), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among other things, the existence of different Elements (Minerals) present on the Surface of Mercury, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Crater-PIA18247-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgUnnamed Crater with Hollows (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)62 visiteThis frame, obtained by the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft on Frebruary, 25, 2014, which shows us a Mercurian Northern Hemisphere's Unnamed Impact Crater - approx. 12,5 Km - such as about 7,76 miles in diameter -, suggested a question that we would like to ask you as much as ourselves: do those extremely common and bright (---> highly reflective) Mercurian Surface Features known as "Hollows" form preferentially on those Crater Walls (---> Inner and Outer Slopes as wll as thier Rims) which receive a more direct (---> and therefore intense) Sunlight?
In the Northern Hemisphere of Mercury, the Northern Walls of the Impact Craters are frequently flooded by a very intense Sunlight (meaning that they are almost always VERY well illuminated), while their Southern Walls only receive grazing Sunlight and therefore they are more often in Shadow; on the other hand (and we just say, "obviously"), in the Mercurian Southern Hemisphere, the Impact Craters' Northern Walls are the ones which receive just grazing Sunlight (and therefore are much less illuminated) while the Southern Walls get more direct (and therefore stronger) Sunlight. Said that, Planetary Scientists, on the base of their observations (mostly founded on the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft's images), believe that the greater the Solar Heating is experienced by the Walls of any given Impact Crater, the more Hollows will form on its (both Inner and Outer) Slopes and Rims (in other words: the direct Solar Illumination should reasonably be an important - if not decisive - factor in the formation of Hollows on the Walls of the Impact Craters located on both Mercury's Hemispheres).
Images like the one here can help us to answer this question and what we see in today's APOD is found in an area of focus (---> interest) for the current NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft's Low-Altitude Imaging Campaign. Perhaps, in the (near) future, we may know more about all this: let's just wait an see what happens...
Date acquired: February, 25th, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 35646241
Image ID: 5828285
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 42,92° North
Center Longitude: 330,90° East
Solar Incidence Angle: 43,5° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 46,5° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 46,1°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 30,1
This picture (which is an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft's b/w and NON-Map-Projected image published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 18247) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected, magnified to aid the visibility of the details and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Surface of Mercury), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among other things, the existence of different Elements (Minerals) present on the Surface of Mercury, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Crater-PIA18372-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgUnnamed Crater with Hollows (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)119 visiteAs the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft passes progressively closer to the Planet Mercury, we are able to see Always better resolved Surface Features in the images that the Spacecraft returns. Here, in this frame, at a pixel scale of 9 meters, we can see the Eastern Portion of an Unnamed Impact Crater approx. 13 Km (such as about 8,073 miles) in diameter. The Inner Wall of the Crater is replete (---> full of), as you can see, with smaller, superposed Impact Craters, some of which appear elongated (---> ellipsoidal), possibly because they impacted on the larger Crater's inclined Inner Wall.
Interestingly, there are also Bright Spots on the Sunlit Portion of this Unnamed Crater's Wall (Right Side - Dx - of the frame, at about 4 o'clock), and that is exctly the right place where we might reasonably expect to see, in a near future, some new "Hollows" (actually, we, as IPF, do believe that the Surface Features visible in the area indicated by NASA are ALREADY FORMED "Hollows" whose shapes and dimensions, probably, are still in course of modification).
Date acquired: March, 3rd, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 36136338
Image ID: 5862963
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 56,30° North
Center Longitude: 301,60° East
Solar Incidence Angle: 59,3° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 30,7° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 43,0°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 102,3°
This picture (which is an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft's b/w and NON Map-Projected image published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 18372) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected, magnified to aid the visibility of the details and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Surface of Mercury), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among other things, the existence of different Elements (Minerals) present on the Surface of Mercury, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Crater_with_Hollows-PIA15069-PCF-LXTT.jpgUnnamed Crater with "Hollows" in Caloris Basin (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)215 visiteThis stunning, and as of yet Unnamed, Crater lies within the Caloris Basin. Its fFoor provides another example of the beautiful "Hollows" found on Mercury and has an etched appearance similar to that found in the Crater Tyagaraja. This image was acquired as a high-resolution targeted observation. Targeted observations are images of a small area on Mercury's Surface at resolutions much higher than the 250-meter/pixel (820 feet/pixel) morphology base map or the 1-kilometer/pixel (0,6 miles/pixel) color base map. It is not possible to cover all of Mercury's Surface at this high resolution during MESSENGER's one-year mission, but several areas of high scientific interest are generally imaged in this mode each week.
Date acquired: October, 28th, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 228326267
Image ID: 943690
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 38,44° North
Center Longitude: 175,6° East
Resolution: 42 meters/pixel
Scale: this Unnamed Crater is approximately 38 Km (about 24 miles) across
Solar Incidence Angle: 76,1° (meaning that the Sun, at the time the picture was taken, was about 13,9° above the Local Horizon)
Emission Angle: 40,0°
Sun-Mercury-MESSENGER (or "Phase") Angle: 116,1°MareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Crater_with_Hollows-PIA16940-PCF-LXTT-IPF-0.jpgHollowland (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)73 visiteThis image (taken by the NASA - Messenger Spacecraft in middle February 2013), shows us an area of ~ 23 Km - such as about 14,28 miles - across that is located within an Unnamed Mercurian Impact Basin that has been litterally "etched" by Hollows. Out of curiosity, this is the only area within the Basin in which Hollows are found. To the bottom left portion of the frame, some part of the Peak Ring of the Basin can also be seen and, most likely, this Peak Ring has been heavily modified by a number of subsequent impacts.
Date acquired: February, 13th, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 3038823
Image ID: 3509823
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 43,52° North
Center Longitude: 291,50° East
Resolution: 21 meters/pixel
Solar Incidence Angle: 74,2° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 15,8° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 10,4°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 63,8°
This picture (which is an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 16940) has been additionally processed and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mercury), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among other things, the existence of different Elements (Minerals) present on the Surface of Mercury, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Crater_with_Rays-PIA14085-PCF-LXTT.jpgRelatively "Fresh" Impact Crater (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)189 visiteDate Acquired: March 29, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 209894125
Image ID: 65182
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 11.8° North
Center Longitude: 13,9° East
Resolution: 160 mt/pixel
Scale: the bright Unnamed Crater is about 6,4 Km in diameter.MareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Crater_with_bright_Rays-PIA15204-PCF-LXTT.jpgBright Rayed Crater (Enhanced Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunar Explorer Italia)133 visiteThe Ejecta of this (relatively, of course) "fresh" approx. 20-Km Impact Crater swept the Surface, leaving beautiful bright Rays. Crater Rays fade with time as smaller impacts mix them into the surrounding Soil while Particles from the Solar Wind change the Surface's Chemistry. Given a little time (perhaps a million years or so), this Unnamed Crater will look like the other similar-sized Craters in the frame.
Date acquired: November, 17th, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 230018573
Image ID: 1023529
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 51,0° South
Center Longitude: 175,1° East
Resolution: 221 meters/pixel
Scale: the Rayed Crater is approximately 20 Km (about 12 miles) in diameter
Solar Incidence Angle: 53,1° (meaning that the Sun is about 36,9° above the Local Horizon)
Emission Angle: 37,8°
Sun-Mercury-MESSENGER (or "Phase") Angle: 78,6°MareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Craters-CB-PIA17692-PCF-LXTT-IPF-0.jpgOn the Edge of Caloris Basin (CTX Frame - Possible Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color. Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)79 visiteThis picture, which is an image-mosaic made of 3 (three) frames taken by the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft on October, 24, 2013, features several Unnamed Impact Craters (being the larger one, visible near the top of the image, approximately 54 Km - such as about 33,53 miles - in diameter) that are all located in the proximities of the Eastern Edge of the Giant Caloris Basin. The two larger Unnamed Impact Craters seen here have excavated (obviously, at the time of their formation, and according to NASA's Scientists) "Low Reflectance Material", and they both show extrenmly bright Hollows (which, in fact, caused an oversaturation of the picture in the areas where thay are present) within their relatively flat Floors.
The Orange/Reddish Deposits visible in the North/Eastern Quadrant (---> center and upper right corner) of the scene, exhibit a so-called "Spectral Signature" that is similar to the one usually left by Pyroclastic Deposits, and this circumstance suggests that this Region (just like way many others on Mercury) might have, once, been the Site of Explosive Volcanism.
Date acquired: October, 24th, 2013
Images Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 24470528, 24960452, 24470516
Images ID: 5033545, 5068359, 5033542
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 23,72° North
Center Longitude: 179,10° East
Solar Incidence Angle: 24,8° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 65,2° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 8,4°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 33,2°
This frame (which is an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft's False Colors and Map-Projected image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 17692) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, magnified to aid the visibility of the details, Gamma corrected and then re-colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mercury), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among other things, the existence of different Elements (Minerals) present on the Surface of Mercury, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Craters-CB-PIA17692-PCF-LXTT-IPF-1.jpgOn the Edge of Caloris Basin (EDM - Possible Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color. Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)65 visiteThis picture, which is an Extra Detail Magnification (or "EDM" for short) of a crop taken from an image-mosaic made of 3 (three) frames obtained by the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft on October, 24, 2013, features, in particular, two Unnamed Impact Craters (being the larger one, visible at the top of the image, approximately 54 Km - such as about 33,53 miles - in diameter) that are located in the proximities of the Eastern Edge of the Giant Caloris Basin. These two large Unnamed Impact Craters have excavated (at the time of their formation, and according to NASA's Scientists) "Low Reflectance Material", and they both show extrenmly bright Hollows (which, in fact, caused an oversaturation of the picture in the areas where thay are present) within their relatively flat Floors.
The Orange/Reddish Deposits visible in the North/Eastern Quadrant (---> upper right corner) of the scene, exhibit a so-called "Spectral Signature" that is similar to the one usually left by Pyroclastic Deposits, and this circumstance suggests that this Region (just like way many others on Mercury) might have, once, been the Site of Explosive Volcanism.
Date acquired: October, 24th, 2013
Images Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 24470528, 24960452, 24470516
Images ID: 5033545, 5068359, 5033542
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 23,72° North
Center Longitude: 179,10° East
Solar Incidence Angle: 24,8° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 65,2° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 8,4°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 33,2°
This frame (which is an an Extra Detail Magnification (or "EDM" for short) of a crop taken from an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft's False Colors and Map-Projected image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 17692) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, magnified to aid the visibility of the smaller details, Gamma corrected and then re-colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mercury), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team. Different colors, as well as different shades of the same color, mean, among other things, the existence of different Elements (Minerals) present on the Surface of Mercury, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.MareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Craters-PIA14191-PCF-LXTT.jpgUnnamed Craters (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)176 visiteImage Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 209889250
Image ID: 65107
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 1,7° North
Center Longitude: 354,3° East
Resolution: approx. 246 mt/pixel
Scale: this image is approx. 390 Km acrossMareKromium
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Craters-PIA14362-PCF-LXTT.jpgAlbedo Differences (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)135 visiteCaption NASA:"This image depicts a stark contrast between Albedo differences on Mercury. The Crater Kalidasa, located in the upper left of the image, contains a smaller but exceptionally bright Crater on its Floor. Nearby to the South/West, Low Reflectance Material (LRM) is found on Kalidasa's Floor. LRM is also visible at the upper left corner of the image. The law of superposition tells us that Kalidasa must have formed before the small bright Crater".
Date acquired: June, 07th, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 215940577
Image ID: 349800
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 17,25° South
Center Longitude: 182,2° East
Resolution: 141 meters/pixel
Scale: Kālidāsa Crater is approximately 100 Km in diameter.
Incidence Angle: 17,4°
Emission Angle: 65,8°
Sun-Target-Spacecraft (such as "Phase") Angle: 78,3°MareKromium
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