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Titan-Fensal_and_Aztlan-PIA07732-PCF-LXTT-IPF-1.jpgFensal (EDM - Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)60 visiteDuring its September 7, 2005, Fly-By of the Saturnian moon Titan, the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft acquired a series of images of a Territory located on the moon's Saturn-facing Hemisphere that were afterwards assembled so to create this small mosaic: once known only as "The H" (because this whole Region looks something like the letter "H", when oriented on its side), the Surface Features visible here now possess provisional names that were assigned to them by the International Astronomical Union (or "IAU", for short).
The Northern Branch of "The H" (shown in this EDM) is now called "Fensal," while the Southern Branch is known as "Aztlan."
Fensal is littered with small "Island-like Landforms" ranging in size from about 5 to 40 Km (such as from approx. 3,1 to a little less than 25 miles) across. These Landforms currently are thought to be Water-Ice Upland Areas (---> kind of small Hills), surrounded by shallower Terrain that is filled-in with dark Particulate Material probably precipitated from the Lower Atmosphere of Titan. In Western Fensal, a few larger Islands can also be seen, like Bazaruto Facula (visible in the upper right corner here and containing what seems to be an Impact Crater or, maybe, a Volcainc Edifice). When viewed in images of Shangri-La (another Titanian Region located on the opposite side of Titan as to Fensal and Aztlan), the Island-like Landforms of this size tend to occur in "clusters" (---> groups) with an apparent so-called "Preferred Orientation" (perhaps due to the action of the Dominant Winds blowing over those Territories). The small Islands found in Fensal, instead, appear much more scattered (and most of them appear roughly circular), although a few Islands do have (show) an East-West orientation to their long axis.
The mosaic is centered at 7° North Latitude and 21° West Longitude on Titan and the frames composing it were taken by the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera using a filter sensitive to Wavelengths of Near-InfrarRed Light centered at 938 nanometers. They were acquired at distances ranging from approximately 200.600 to 191.800 Km (such as from about 124.572 to 119.108 miles) from Titan. The Mean Resolution in the images forming the mosaic is about 2 Km (such as 1,242 miles) per pixel.
This picture (which has been cropped from an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the n. PIA 07732) has been additionally processed, magnified, contrast enhanced and then colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Saturnian moon Titan), 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 others, the existence of different Elements present in the Atmosphere and on the Surface of Titan, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of the Clouds and Hazes (as well as the luminosity of the Surface of Titan itself), as seen in this mosaic, would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromiumGiu 16, 2013
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Titan-Fensal_and_Aztlan-PIA07732-PCF-LXTT-IPF-0.jpgFensal and Aztlan (CTX Image-Mosaic - Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)64 visiteDuring its September 7, 2005, Fly-By of the Saturnian moon Titan, the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft acquired a series of images of a Territory located on the moon's Saturn-facing Hemisphere that were afterwards assembled so to create this small mosaic: once known only as "The H" (because this whole Region looks something like the letter "H", when oriented on its side), the Surface Features visible here now possess provisional names that were assigned to them by the International Astronomical Union (or "IAU", for short).
The Northern Branch of "The H" is now called "Fensal," while the Southern Branch is known as "Aztlan."
Fensal is littered with small "Island-like Landforms" ranging in size from about 5 to 40 Km (such as from approx. 3,1 to a little less than 25 miles) across. These Landforms currently are thought to be Water-Ice Upland Areas (---> kind of small Hills), surrounded by shallower Terrain that is filled-in with dark Particulate Material probably precipitated from the Lower Atmosphere of Titan. In Western Fensal, a few larger Islands can also be seen, like Bazaruto Facula (visible to the right here and containing what seems to be an Impact Crater or, maybe, a Volcanic Edifice). When viewed in images of Shangri-La (another Titanian Region located on the opposite side of Titan as to Fensal and Aztlan), the Island-like Landforms of this size tend to occur in "clusters" (---> groups) with an apparent so-called "Preferred Orientation" (perhaps due to the action of the Dominant Winds blowing over those Territories). The small Islands found in Fensal, instead, appear much more scattered (and most of them appear roughly circular), although a few Islands do have (show) an East-West orientation to their long axis.
Aztlan, on the other hand, appears comparatively devoid of small Island-like Landforms, with only three large Islands located in its Western Reaches, plus only a few smaller Islands. The largest one of these Landforms is called "Sotra Facula" (visible just right of center in the bottom left portion of the mosaic), and measures approx. 240 by 120 Km (such as about 149 to 74,52 miles) across.
The mosaic is centered at 7° North Latitude and 21° West Longitude on Titan and the frames composing it were taken by the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera using a filter sensitive to Wavelengths of Near-InfrarRed Light centered at 938 nanometers. They were acquired at distances ranging from approximately 200.600 to 191.800 Km (such as from about 124.572 to 119.108 miles) from Titan. The Mean Resolution in the images forming the mosaic is about 2 Km (such as 1,242 miles) per pixel.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the n. PIA 07732) has been additionally processed, magnified, contrast enhanced and then colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Saturnian moon Titan), 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 others, the existence of different Elements present in the Atmosphere and on the Surface of Titan, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of the Clouds and Hazes (as well as the luminosity of the Surface of Titan itself), as seen in this mosaic, would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromiumGiu 16, 2013
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Titan-PIA14663-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgFensal, Aztlan and Kraken Mare (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)61 visiteAlthough it is almost completely hidden from human eyes, the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft can still spot a few dark Features on the Surface of Titan thanks to its special Near-InfraRed Filters. The Surface Features visible here, near the Equatorial Belt, have been dubbed "Fensal" and "Aztlan" by Planetary Scientists and they are believed to be vast (---> large and very long) Dunes made of Particles of Dust (mixed-up with, most likely, other Elements) that precipitated out of the Atmosphere of Titan (but some other possibilities about their origin and composition can also be well considered); on the other hand, near the North Pole of Titan, it is also well visible the largest body of liquids existing on this fascinating Saturnian moon, such as the Kraken Mare.
Furthermore, just barely visible right on top of the South Pole, the huge Vortex that was spotted quite some time ago and that keeps Planetary Scientists busy trying to understand the actual reasons that caused its sudden formation, as well as and the amount of time during which it will still remain active (obviously assuming that such a Vortex is just a seasonal and not a - now - permanent phenomenon).
This view looks toward the Saturn-facing Hemisphere of Titan; North is up and rotated 32° to the right (Dx) and the image was taken with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera on April 13, 2013 using a Spectral Filter sensitive to Wavelengths of Near-InfraRed Light centered at 938 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 1,2 Million Miles (such as about 1,93 Million KiloMeters) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-Cassini Spacecraft, or Phase, Angle of 4°. The image scale is roughly 7 miles (such as about 11,26 Km) per pixel.
This picture (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w frame published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the n. PIA 14663) has been additionally processed, magnified and then colorized, according to an educated guess carried out by Dr Paolo C. Fienga (LXTT-IPF), in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked outside, towards the Saturnian moon Titan), 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 others, the existence of different Elements present in the Atmosphere of Titan, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of the Clouds and Hazes (as well as the luminosity of Titan itself) seen in this frame would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromiumGiu 16, 2013
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OPP-SOL3325-PIA17078-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgHigh TAU at "Solander Point" - Sol 3325 (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)85 visiteThe NASA - Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity used its Panoramic Camera (or "PancCam") to acquire this view of "Solander Point", during the 3325th Martian Day, or Sol (such as June 1st, 2013, on Earth) of its Mission in the Region of Meridiani Planum. This Southward-looking scene shows "Solander Point" on the center horizon, "Botany Bay" in the foreground, and "Cape Tribulation" in the far background at left.
Botany Bay is a so-called Topographic "Saddle" exposing Sedimentary Rocks that are part of the Burns Formation, such as a Geological Unit that Opportunity examined during earlier years of the Mission. At Botany Bay, the Burns Formation is exposed between isolated remnants of Endeavour Crater's Rim. Solander Point and Cape Tribulation are just Rim Segments located to the South of Botany Bay. Opportunity is on the way to Solander Point to spend the upcoming Winter Season on a Northerly tilted Surface (so to be able to get more Sunlight on its Solar Panels). Extensive Rock Strata can be spotted on the Northern Side of Solander Point, and these ancient Rocks and surrounding Bench Materials will be investigated in detail by Opportunity as part of the Winter Science Campaign.
This frame (which is an Original NASA - Mars Exploration Rover (MER) "Opportunity" Original Natural Color image published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the ID n. PIA 17078) has been additionally processed, magnified and then re-colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a normal - meaning "in the average" - human eye would actually perceive if someone were on the Surface of Mars, near the NASA - Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity, and then looked ahead, towards the Horizon and Sky over Endeavour Crater), by using an original technique created - and, in time, dramatically improved - by the Lunar Explorer Italia Team.MareKromiumGiu 16, 2013
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ESP_027758_1530-1-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgWater-Ice in a Chlorite-bearing Escarpment in North/Western Hellas Planitia (CTX Fframe and EDM - Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)90 visiteA South-facing Escarpment located in the North/Western part of the Martian Region known as Hellas Planitia (a target that was chosen for the research of Phyllosilicates) showed us the presence, inside the Rocks (---> mostly in their horizontal cracks) forming it, of a pale bluish Material, barely visible in this Absolute Natural Color image. The CRISM Spectra of such Material showed that it consists of a combination of Chlorite and Water Ice. This image was captured by the NASA - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter during the Southern Martian Winter, such as in the time period when the Southern Hemisphere's South-facing Escarpments (just like this one) of the Red Planet retain Water Ice Deposits that formed during that dark, long and extremely cold Season.
Mars Local Time: 15:36 (Middle Afternoon)
Coord. (centered): 26,501° South Lat. and 55,094° East Long.
Spacecraft altitude: 268,2 Km (such as about 166,552 miles)
Original image scale range: 26,8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~ 80 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale: 25 cm/pixel
Map projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR
Emission Angle: 18,0°
Phase Angle: 56,7°
Solar Incidence Angle: 69° (meaning that the Sun was about 21° above the Local Horizon at the time the picture was taken)
Solar Longitude: 131,4° (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 NON-Map Projected false color EDM frame identified by the serial n. ESP_027758_1530-1) has been additionally processed, magnified to aid the visibility of the details, contrast enhanced 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 26, 2013
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ESP_027758_1530-2-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgWater-Ice in a Chlorite-bearing Escarpment in North/Western Hellas Planitia (EDM - Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)108 visiteA South-facing Escarpment located in the North/Western part of the Martian Region known as Hellas Planitia (a target that was chosen for the research of Phyllosilicates) showed us the presence, inside the Rocks (---> mostly in their horizontal cracks) forming it, of a pale bluish Material, barely visible in this Absolute Natural Color image. The CRISM Spectra of such Material showed that it consists of a combination of Chlorite and Water Ice. This image was captured by the NASA - Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter during the Southern Martian Winter, such as in the time period when the Southern Hemisphere's South-facing Escarpments (just like this one) of the Red Planet retain Water Ice Deposits that formed during that dark, long and extremely cold Season.
Mars Local Time: 15:36 (Middle Afternoon)
Coord. (centered): 26,501° South Lat. and 55,094° East Long.
Spacecraft altitude: 268,2 Km (such as about 166,552 miles)
Original image scale range: 26,8 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~ 80 cm across are resolved
Map projected scale: 25 cm/pixel
Map projection: EQUIRECTANGULAR
Emission Angle: 18,0°
Phase Angle: 56,7°
Solar Incidence Angle: 69° (meaning that the Sun was about 21° above the Local Horizon at the time the picture was taken)
Solar Longitude: 131,4° (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 NON-Map Projected false color EDM frame identified by the serial n. ESP_027758_1530-1) has been additionally processed, magnified to aid the visibility of the details, contrast enhanced 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 26, 2013
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Rhea-PIA14660-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgFarewell to Rhea (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)76 visiteOn its fourth and final targeted Fly-By of Rhea, the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft provided, among others, this stunning view its ancient, tormented and heavily cratered Surface. Billions of years of impacts, in fact, have sculpted Rhea's Surface into the form we see today and, with a diameter of approx. 950 miles (such as about 1528,8 Km), Rhea is the second-largest moon of Saturn.
This view is centered on Terrain located at 33° North Latitude and 358° West Longitude. The image was taken in Visible Light with the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft Narrow-Angle Camera on March 9, 2013, at a distance of approximately 2.348 miles (such as about 3.778,73 Km) from the Surface of Rhea. Just out of curiosity, we, as IPF, have found (as far as this specific picture is concerned) a slight discrepancy between the data regarding the distance of the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft from the Surface of Rhea, as reported in the NASA - Planetary Photojournal (where it has been written that the distance was of approx. 2.280 miles) and in the caption attached to this frame - entitled "Rhea's Shadowy Craters" - and reported in the NASA - Cassini Solstice Mission Official WebSite (where the distance between the Spacecraft and Rhea is estimated to be 2.348 miles). Obviously, everybody - even our Friends from NASA - makes mistakes, every now and then...
This frame (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w image published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal and identified by the serial n. PIA 14660) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked down, towards the Surface of the Saturnian moon Rhea), 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 others, the existence of different Elements present on the Surface of Rhea, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of the Surface of Rhea - as it is presented in this image - would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromiumMag 26, 2013
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Rhea-IMG004754-br500-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgFarewell to Rhea (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)62 visiteOn its fourth and final targeted Fly-By of Rhea, the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft provided, among others, this stunning view its ancient, tormented and heavily cratered Surface. Billions of years of impacts, in fact, have sculpted Rhea's Surface into the form we see today and, with a diameter of approx. 950 miles (such as about 1528,8 Km), Rhea is the second-largest moon of Saturn.
Scientists are still trying to understand some of the curious Surface Features visible in this image, including a curving, narrow Fracture, or Graben, which is a Block of Ground lower than its surroundings and bordered by Cliffs on both sides. This Feature looks remarkably recent, since it cuts most of the Impact Craters that it crosses, with only a few (and small) Impact Craters superimposed.
This view was taken - using the filters CL1 and CL2 - on March 9, 2013, at a distance of approximately 1.727 miles (such as about 2.779,33 Km) from the Surface of Rhea.
This frame (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w image identified by the serial n. IMG004754-br500) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked down, towards the Surface of the Saturnian moon Rhea), 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 others, the existence of different Elements present on the Surface of Rhea, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of the Surface of Rhea - as it is presented in this image - would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromiumMag 26, 2013
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Rhea-IMG004709-br500-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgFarewell to Rhea (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)75 visiteOn its fourth and final targeted Fly-By of Rhea, the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft provided many stunning views its ancient, tormented and heavily cratered Surface. Billions of years of impacts, in fact, have sculpted Rhea's Surface into the form we see today and, with a diameter of approx. 950 miles (such as about 1528,8 Km), Rhea is the second-largest moon of Saturn.
In the EDM here (is on the lower right - Dx - of the CTX Frame), you can see an extremely interesting and, in a way, really mysterious and bizarre-looking Horizontal Linear Structure that looks like a Wall and whose upper edge is still illuminated by the Sun; the Structure - whose origin is and, most likely, will remain unknown - is located within a relatively small-sized and Unnamed Impact Crater and it extends for about one/third of its Inner Diameter. This view was taken in Visible Light on December 22, 2012, at a distance of approximately 16.805 miles (such as a little less than 27.045 Km) from the Surface of Rhea.
This frame (which is an Original NASA - Cassini Spacecraft b/w image identified by the serial n. N00199484) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced, and then colorized in Absolute Natural Colors (such as the colors that a human eye would actually perceive if someone were onboard the NASA - Cassini Spacecraft and then looked down, towards the Surface of the Saturnian moon Rhea), 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 others, the existence of different Elements present on the Surface of Rhea, each having a different Albedo (---> Reflectivity) and Chemical Composition.
Note: it is possible (but we, as IPF, have no way to be one-hundred-percent sure of such a circumstance), that the actual luminosity of the Surface of Rhea - as it is presented in this image - would appear, to an average human eye, way lower than it has been shown (or, better yet: interpreted) here.MareKromiumMag 26, 2013
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Tyagaraja_Crater-PIA17051-PCF-LXTT-IPF-2.jpgTyagaraja Crater (EDM - Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)70 visiteThis colorful picture of Tyagaraja Crater (which is about 97 Km - such as approx. 60,23 miles - in diameter) and its surroundings shows us many different types of Material that exist on the Surface of Mercury. For instance, the very bright, white areas visible on the Floor of the Crater (in particular to the North/East, at about 3 o'clock) are the very "famous" (and common, on Mercury) Hollows; as a matter of fact, they are so much brighter than the surrounding Areas that they appear slightly over-saturated in this particular image.
The yellow/red/orangish spots located near the center of the Crater are, most likely, Volcanic Materials which surround a Pyroclastic Vent. Last, but not least, the very Dark Material (almost black) that is visible all around Tyagaraja Crater (and, particularly, towards the South/Western Regions surrounding Tyagaraja - such as the areas located in the lower left (Sx) side of the frame) is Low Reflectance Material (LRM).
Just out of curiosity, if you look carefully at the outline of Tyagaraja Crater, you may notice that its shape is quite unusual for a Primary Impact Crater: in fact, its shape it is not a "circle", but rather an (almost regular, on its Western side) "hexagon". Also, the Inner Slopes of the Crater show clear evidence of multiple Layers (and such a circumstance, at least for the time being, is really hard, for Planetary Scientists, to fully understand and explain).
Date acquired: April 25th, 2013
Images Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 9232956, 9232948, 9232944
Images ID: 3950118, 3950116, 3950115
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 3,94° North
Center Longitude: 211,20° East
Resolution: 22 meters/pixel
Solar Incidence Angle: 13,4° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 76,6° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 18,0°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 31,5°
This picture (which is an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft Map Projected false color image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 17051) has been additionally processed, cropped, 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.MareKromiumMag 26, 2013
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Tyagaraja_Crater-PIA17051-PCF-LXTT-IPF-1.jpgTyagaraja Crater (CTX Frame - Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)61 visiteThis colorful picture of Tyagaraja Crater (which is about 97 Km - such as approx. 60,23 miles - in diameter) and its surroundings shows us many different types of Material that exist on the Surface of Mercury. For instance, the very bright, white areas visible on the Floor of the Crater (in particular to the North/East, at about 3 o'clock) are the very "famous" (and common, on Mercury) Hollows; as a matter of fact, they are so much brighter than the surrounding Areas that they appear slightly over-saturated in this particular image. The yellow/red/orangish spots located near the center of the Crater are, most likely, Volcanic Materials which surround a Pyroclastic Vent. Last, but not least, the very Dark Material (almost black) that is visible all around Tyagaraja Crater (and, particularly, towards the South/Western Regions surrounding Tyagaraja - such as the areas located in the lower left (Sx) side of the frame) is Low Reflectance Material (LRM). Just out of curiosity, if you look carefully at the outline of Tyagaraja Crater, you may notice that its shape is quite unusual for a Primary Impact Crater: in fact, its shape it is not a "circle", but rather an (almost regular, on its Western side) "hexagon".
Date acquired: April 25th, 2013
Images Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 9232956, 9232948, 9232944
Images ID: 3950118, 3950116, 3950115
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 3,94° North
Center Longitude: 211,20° East
Resolution: 22 meters/pixel
Solar Incidence Angle: 13,4° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 76,6° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 18,0°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 31,5°
This picture (which is an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft Map Projected false color image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 17051) has been additionally processed, contrast enhanced 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.MareKromiumMag 26, 2013
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ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Balanchine_Crater-PIA17057-PCF-LXTT-IPF-2.jpgBalanchine Crater (EDM - Absolute Natural Colors; credts for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)63 visiteThe Impact Crater visible at the center of this scene (such as the one whose Floor is largely covered by extremely bright - and therefore, here, slightly over-exposed - Hollows) has been named "Balanchine", after the choreographer George Balanchine (Leningrad, 1904/New York City - NY - 1983). Now, if you carefully take a look at the Ejecta Blanket which emanates from Balanchine Crater, you may ask yourself what could have caused such an Asymmetric Pattern. Obviously, no one can give an absolutely definitive answer to this kind of question, as you should know, but a reasonable possibility is that the irregularly shaped Ejecta Pattern of Balanchine Crater formed (perhaps just in part) on top of a similarly sized, and pre-existing, Impact Crater.
In this scenario, the older Impact Crater could have unearthed the Lower Reflectance dark-gray Deposit (which, by the way, appear blue in the Original NASA false color image-mosaic) from beneath the Surface, while, some time (perhaps a few millions of years) afterwards, a certain portion of them was (unevenly) redistributed all over the Mercurian Surface by the impact that formed Balanchine.
Date acquired: June 29th, 2011
Images Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 217863931, 217863927, 217863923
Images ID: 441964, 441963, 441962
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 39,05° North
Center Longitude: 175,80° East
Resolution: 282 meters/pixel
Solar Incidence Angle: 39,6° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 50,4° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 6,3°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 40,9°
This picture (which is a crop taken from an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft Map Projected false color image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 17057) 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.MareKromiumMag 26, 2013
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