| |
| Ultimi arrivi |

ZZ-Mercury-Hill-PIA18248-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgMercurian Hill (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)126 visiteThis Vertical Relief (a very small Hill perhaps?), photographed by the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft on March, 25, 2014, lies towards the Edge of Mercury's expansive Northern Plains. The Sun, at the time when the picture was taken, was already very low on the Local Mercurian Horizon (---> only 6°), and this circumstance caused the creation of a long Shadow, approximately 3,3 Km (such as about 2,04 miles) long.
Using a simple formula (actually, it is a Trigonometric relationship) - and knowing, in addition to the length of the Shadow, the Local Solar Incidence Angle - it was easy to calculate the height of the Hill, which is approx.(~) 340 meters (such as about (~) 0,2111 miles).
This Vertical Relief, according to NASA Planetary Scientists, could be (even thougb we, as IPF, stronglt disagree with such an hypothesis) a partial remnant of the Rim of an old Impact Crater that, some time in a very remote past of Mercury, was flooded (---> invaded and then almost completely covered) by fluid Lava. North is to the right of this image.
Date acquired: March, 25th, 2014
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 38066727
Image ID: 6000245
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 83,92° North
Center Longitude: 242,30° East
Solar Incidence Angle: 84,0° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 6,0° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 1,9°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 82,0°
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 18248) 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.MareKromiumMag 17, 2014
|
|

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)121 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.MareKromiumMag 17, 2014
|
|

North_Polar_Regions-Aspledon_Undae-PIA18237-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgAspledon Undae (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)117 visiteIn this VIS image, taken by the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter on February, 27th, 2014, and during its 54.150th orbit around the Red Planet, we can see a small portion of a Martian Region known as Aspledon Undae: one of the several large Dunefields located near the North Pole of Mars. The term Undae, as you can easily understand, comes from the Latin word "Unda" (---> Wave; plural Undae ---> Waves) and, in this specific case, as the image suggests quite clearly, means Dunes (better yet: Wave-shaped Dunes).
Latitude (centered): 72,4562° North
Longitude (centered): 307,9130° East
Instrument: VIS
This image (which is a crop taken from an Original Mars Odyssey Orbiter b/w and Map-Projected frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 18237) has been additionally processed, magnified to aid the visibility of the details, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mars), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.MareKromiumMag 17, 2014
|
|

Craters-Unnamed_Crater-VB-PIA18240-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgUnnamed Crater with Dunefield (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)112 visiteIn this VIS image, taken by the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter on April, 3rd, 2014, and during its 54.212th orbit around the Red Planet, we can see a so-called "Sand Sheet" - with extremely dark Surface Dune-like Landforms (actually the aformentioned Dune-like Landforms are just Ripples, very similar to the ones that we have seen inside the relatively small Impact Crater known as "Endurance", visited, a few years ago, by the NASA - Mars Exploration Rover (or "MER", for short) Opportunity and found in the Peri-Equatorial Martian Region of Meridiani Planum) - that covers the entire Floor of an Unnamed Impact Crater located at a very high Northern Latitude, not too far away from the North Polar Cap.
The gray/white-colored area that completely surrounds this Unnamed Impact Crater and which, then, goes toward the North/West, could (and should) be, in our opinion, as IPF, the initial portion of a large and long Windstreak.
Latitude (centered): 74,1474° North
Longitude (centered): 319,1200° East
Instrument: VIS
This image (which is a crop taken from an Original Mars Odyssey Orbiter b/w and Map-Projected frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 18240) has been additionally processed, magnified to aid the visibility of the details, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mars), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.MareKromiumMag 17, 2014
|
|

North_Polar_Features-Layers-PIA18238-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgNorth Polar Layers with "Unconformities" (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)101 visiteIn this VIS image, taken by the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter on March, 3rd, 2014, and during its 54.206th orbit around the Red Planet, we can see a small portion of the so-called North Polar Layered Deposits (or "NPLD", for short), which - according to the data collected so far and duly examined by Planetary Scientists - are (mostly) made of Water-Ice.
Latitude (centered): 79,8759° North
Longitude (centered): 339,4930° East
Instrument: VIS
This image (which is a crop taken from an Original Mars Odyssey Orbiter b/w and Map-Projected frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 18240) has been additionally processed, magnified to aid the visibility of the details, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mars), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.MareKromiumMag 17, 2014
|
|

Tempe_Terra-PIA18251-PCF-LXTT-IPF-1.jpgFeatures of Tempe Terra (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)87 visiteIn this VIS image, taken by the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter on March, 5th, 2014, and during its 54.219th orbit around the Red Planet, we can see a small portion of the Eastern Margin of the Martian Region known as Tempe Terra, where numerous Unnamed Outflow Channels can be found. In this picture, if you look at it carefully, you will be able to see an interesting and unusually-looking Craters' Cluster (approx. 13 small Impact Craters, very close to one another and showing different levels of degradation, are visible - look at the lower Right - Dx - center of the frame) and a white-colored, medium-sized Outcrop (lower center of the frame), surrounded by small, low and curvilinear Ridges whose origin is (so far) unknown.
Latitude (centered): 35,3128° North
Longitude (centered): 305,1220° East
Instrument: VIS
This image (which is a crop taken from an Original Mars Odyssey Orbiter b/w and Map-Projected frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 18251) has been additionally processed, magnified to aid the visibility of the details, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mars), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.MareKromiumMag 17, 2014
|
|

ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Scarlatti_Crater-PIA18215-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgScarlatti Crater (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)110 visiteIn this image-mosaic, obtained by putting together three frames taken by the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft on March, 30, 2014, we can see, located almost at the center of the frame, the large (such as approx. 132 Km - such as about 81,97 miles - in diameter) Peak-Ring Basin known as Scarlatti.
While Scarlatti has a typical Peak-Ring in many respects, if you take a good look towards its North/Eastern Section (upper right side - Dx - of the Feature), you will be able to notice its "transition" to a relatively wide (in this case, approx. 30 Km - such as about 18,63 miles - across) sort of Collapse Pit, surrounded by High-Reflectance (white and reddish in color) Surface Material. This Pit (perhaps a Volcanic Vent or a Caldera, eons ago), according to several NASA Planetary Scientists, could have been - and we say, as IPF, reasonably, considering all the visible Features characterizing it - the site of some (most likely extremely ancient as well as really powerful) Explosive Volcanic Activity.
Date acquired: March, 30th, 2014
Images Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 38528557, 38528553, 38528551
Images ID: 6032934, 6032932, 6032931
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 40,70° North
Center Longitude: 258,90° East
Solar Incidence Angle: 86,2° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 3,8° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 51,1°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 137,3°
This picture (which is an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft's false colors and NON-Map-Projected image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 18215) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected, magnified to aid the visibility of the details 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 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.MareKromiumMag 07, 2014
|
|

ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Waters_Crater-PIA18228-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgWaters Crater (EDM - Possible Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)106 visiteIn this beautiful image, obtained by the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft on September, 16, 2013, we can see the extremely unusually-looking Impact Crater known as Waters. The South-heading Dark Impact Melt Flow of Waters Crater (approx. 15 Km - such as about 9,315 miles - in diameter and so named, in the AD 2012, after the blues legend Muddy Waters - Mc Kinley Morganfield, born in Issaquena County - Mississippi - USA -, on April 4, 1913 and deceased in Westmont, Illinois, on April 30, 1983) has always been - we'd say, obviously - a Surface Feature of great interest for Planetary Scientists, and the Targeted Color Imaging Campaign carried out by the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft showed quite well, and more than once, the distinctive dark gray-greenish-bluish color of the aforementioned Impact Melt Flow.
As a consequence of such a great interest, during the late AD 2013, this High-Resolution Image was then acquired, and it revealed stunning new details (like the Wavy Texture) of the Impact Melt Flow - details which were (as far as their visual quality was and is concerned) way beyond the ones that had been photographed in other (previous) frames.
Date acquired: September, 16th, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 21673915
Image ID: 4834878
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 9,00° South
Center Longitude: 254,70° East
Solar Incidence Angle: 44,0° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 46,0° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 44,8°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 85,5°
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 18228) 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.MareKromiumMag 07, 2014
|
|

ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Waters_Crater-PIA15389-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgWaters Crater, in context (Possible Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)67 visiteIn this High Resolution Image-Mosaic, obtained by putting together three frames taken by the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft on May, 16, 2011, we can see, once again, the approx. 15-Km (such as about 9,315 miles) diameter Impact Crater named Waters that, as you can easily understand just by looking at the picture, should be relatively young, as indicated by the Bright Rays that cross the neighboring (---> meaning located in its proximities) Surface Features. As we have already drawn to your attention in the past, an unusually-looking "Tongue-like Feature", most likely made of Impact Melt - and which shows a very dark gray color, when compared to the nearby Mercurian Surface - appears to have flowed out of the Crater itself, most likely at the time of - or just right after - its formation.
Date acquired: May, 16th, 2011
Images Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 214069807, 214069811, 214069815
Images ID: 261719, 261720, 261721
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 8,82° South
Center Longitude: 254,90° East
Solar Incidence Angle: 41,8° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 48,2° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 25,6°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 67,4°
This picture (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 15389) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected, magnified to aid the visibility of the details 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 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.
MareKromiumMag 07, 2014
|
|

North_Polar_Regions-Olympia_Undae-PIA18243-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgOlympia Undae (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color. Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)70 visiteOlympia Undae is a large Field of Sand Dunes surrounding the North Polar Ice Cap of Mars. Because of the High Latitude of the Dunes, they are covered with Water and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Frost for the whole Winter, Springtime and part of Summer as well (remember that during the Wintertime the Dunes are also poorly illuminated). Said that, it comes natural to understand that these Dunes are are best viewed during Summertime (from mid, to late Summer, to be more precise), when some of their most obvious Features - such as the Ripples that form on the Dunes' Surface - can be seen in detail.
In this sub-image, taken by the NASA - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on April, 9, 2014, we can see the Dunes in the Early Martian Summer. The Dark (Gray, with Reddish nuances here) Material visible here is the Sand that makes up the Dunes. Between them, Bright Bedrock as well as some lingering Patches of Frost (White-colored) that has not yet sublimated, are also well visible. If you look carefully, you will be able to see small Ripples that formed on the Dunes' Flat Surfaces, as well as Bright so-called "Inter-Dune Areas".
This specific area has been viewed several times by HiRISE, so NASA was able to compare this image to other past ones (from about 2 years ago); the most obvious difference between these images was simply found in the Illumination, which was much better in the AD 2012 (it is possible to say so once it has been noticed that the 2012 images showed much finer details). However, and despite that beforementioned difference, several changes in the Boundaries of the Sand and Ripple positions were also found, and this last circumstance showed - and proved - that (the Dominant and very strong North Polar) Winds, perhaps assisted by the Sublimation of the Frost that covers most of the Dunes (an event, the latter, that actually contributes in loosening Sand), are continuously modifying the Landforms of Olympia Undae, from one year to another.
Mars Local Time: 13:52 (Early Afternoon)
Coord. (centered): 81,633° North Lat. and 178,830° East Long.
Spacecraft altitude: 321,8 Km (such as about 199,837 miles)
Original image scale range: 32,2 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~ 97 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale: 25 cm/pixel
Map projection: POLAR STEREOGRAPHIC
Emission Angle: 17,9°
Phase Angle: 8,0°
Solar Incidence Angle: 60° (meaning that the Sun was about 30° above the Local Horizon at the time the picture was taken)
Solar Longitude: 113,9° (Northern Summer - Southern Winter)
Credits: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Additional process. and coloring: Lunar Explorer Italia
This picture (which is a NASA - Original Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter False Colors and NON Map-Projected sub-frame identified by the serial n. ESP_036099_2615-1) has been additionally processed, magnified to aid the visibility of the details, contrast enhanced, 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 - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mars), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.MareKromiumMag 07, 2014
|
|

North_Polar_Regions-The_Erg-PIA18233-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgFeatures of the North Polar Erg (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)66 visiteIn this VIS image, taken by the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter on February, 26th, 2014, and during its 54.141st orbit around the Red Planet, we can see a small area of the North Polar Erg (---> Sea of Dunes). As the season changes from Spring to Summer, the Dunes surrounding the North Polar Cap, as you can see here, become darker and darker.
Only the round and bright Feature located on the left (Sx) margin of the frame (that we have already noticed in the past, when other pictures of this very same area were taken even by other Orbiters), seems to remain - basically - unchanged during the entire Martian Year. Unfortunately, we do not know what that Feature actually is, but our educated guess is that it could reasonably be a (relatively large) patch of Permanent Ice and Frost, thick and compacted enough to resist to the Winds' Action and then make it through the whole Martian Summer, when the temperature considerably raises, without sublimating or melting.
Latitude (centered): 79,7727° North
Longitude (centered): 198,7900° East
Instrument: VIS
This image (which is an Original Mars Odyssey Orbiter b/w and Map-Projected frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 18233) has been additionally processed, magnified to aid the visibility of the details, contrast enhanced, Gamma corrected and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Mars Odyssey Orbiter and then looked down, towards the Surface of Mars), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.
MareKromiumMag 07, 2014
|
|

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)64 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.MareKromiumMag 07, 2014
|
|
| 25353 immagini su 2113 pagina(e) |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
67 |  |
 |
 |
 |
|

|
|