| |
| Piú votate - Mercury |
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)104 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.MareKromium
(5 voti)
|
|
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)83 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.MareKromium
(5 voti)
|
|
ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Balanchine_Crater-PIA17057-PCF-LXTT-IPF-1.jpgBalanchine Crater (CTX Frame - Absolute Natural Colors; credts for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)68 visiteThe Impact Crater located 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, an absolutely definitive answer to this kind of question, as you should know, cannot be given by anybody, but one reasonable possibility is that the irregularly shaped Ejecta Pattern of Balanchine Crater formed (maybe just in part) on top of a similarly sized, and, of course, pre-existing, Impact Crater.
In this scenario, the older Impact Crater could have unearthed the Lower Reflectance dark-gray Deposit (as a matter of fact, in Absolute Natural Colors this Material looks almost black - 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.
The Cracks that are well visible in the lower left (Sx) quadrant of the mosaic, on the other hand, are part of the Complex System of Graben that cuts the Floor of the giant Caloris Basin, in which Balanchine Crater is located. North is up.
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 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.MareKromium
(5 voti)
|
|
ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Balzac_Crater_and_others-PIA16907-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgCraters' Variety (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)118 visiteThis oblique view of the Surface of Mercury highlights, from top to bottom, the Impact Craters Balzac, Phidias,Tyagaraja, Stevenson, and Zeami. While named Impact Craters are still sparse across much of the Surface of Mercury, this Region, since it had already been observed by the NASA - Mariner 10 Spacecraft, granted to Planetary Scientists and Researchers plenty of time to propose names to the International Astronomical Union (or IAU, for short) and get them approved. Furthermore, in the NASA - Mariner 10 images of Mercury, Craters like Tyagaraja (located at the center of the image and having a diameter of approx. 97 Km - such as about 60,2 miles) and Zeami were described as hosting "Bright Floor Deposits", but the relatively low resolution at which they were imaged at that time did not allow the Planetary Scientists to carry out a more detailed analysis.
Now, thanks to the imaging capabilities of the cameras onboard the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft, we know that the Mercurian Impact Craters such as these visible in today's APOD, actually do not host "Bright Floor Deposits" but rather that fascinating (and still far from being fully understood) Features known as "Hollows".
Date acquired: November, 26th, 2012
Images Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 262401199, 262401219, 262401203
Images ID: 3026482, 3026487, 3026483
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 4,64° North
Center Longitude: 210,50° East
Resolution: 698 meters/pixel
Solar Incidence Angle: 30,2° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the picture was taken, was about 59,8° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 57,5°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 83,8°
This picture (which is an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft false color image-mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 16907) has been additionally processed 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
(5 voti)
|
|
ZZ-Mercury-Limb-Flare-Fake-PIA16909-PCF-LXTT-IPF-1.jpgThis is NOT a "Game"!113 visiteFile NASA originale, scaricato dal "NASA - Planetary Photojournal" (ed ora non più esistente). MareKromium
(5 voti)
|
|
ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Bek_Crater-PIA16626-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgBek Crater (Absolute Natural Colors; credts for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)89 visiteIn this frame, which is a composite of imagest taken by the NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft, now orbiting the Planet Mercury, shows us the beautiful Bright Rays of Bek Crater (whose diameter is about 32 Km - such as approx. 20 miles) which dominate this scene, covering a few nearby Unnamed Impact Craters with Wisps of fresh Material. On the other hand, Lermontov Crater, seen at the bottom of the image, is thought to have been the site of explosive Volcanic Eruptions.
Date acquired: April, 12th, 2011
Images Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 211111707, 211111727, 211111711
Images ID: 122544, 122549, 122545
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 21,31° North
Center Longitude: 308,8° East
Resolution: 401 meters/pixel
Solar Incidence Angle: 25,8° (meaning that the Sun, at the time that the pictures were taken, was about 64,2° above the imaged Local Mercurian Horizon)
Emission Angle: 30,0°
Sun-Mercury-Messenger (or "Phase") Angle: 55,9°
This picture (which is an Original NASA - MESSENGER Spacecraft color image mosaic published on the NASA - Planetary Photojournal with the ID n. PIA 16626) has been additionally processed 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
(5 voti)
|
|
ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Unnamed_Crater-PIA16392-PCF-LXTT-IPF.jpgUnnamed Mercurian Crater (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the research and the additional process.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga/Lunar Explorer Italia/Italian Planetary Foundation)112 visiteThis dramatic image, where North is to the right, shows a Simple Impact Crater some 11 Km in diameter, located within the 290-Km-diameter Mendelssohn Basin. Its sharp Rim indicates that this Crater is a comparatively young Feature, though some parts of the Crater Walls have slumped (---> slowly fallen down) onto the Floor. The High Resolution of this image allows us to see quite a few distinctive textures along the Crater Walls.
Date acquired: July 21, 2012
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 251400686
Image ID: 2244179
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 70,28° North
Center Longitude: 105,38° East
Resolution: 19 meters/pixel
Scale: the field of view in this image is approx. 9,7 Km (such as about 2,3 miles) across
Solar Incidence Angle: 76,9° (menaing that the Sun was about 13,1° above the imaged Local Horizon at the time that the picture was taken)
Emission Angle: 11,0°
Sun-Mercury-MESSENGER (or "Phase") Angle: 87,9°MareKromium
(5 voti)
|
|
ZZ-Mercury-Rupes-PIA15219-PCF-LXTT.jpgCliffs on the Rim of Eminescu Crater (Enhanced and Sharpened Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)150 visiteThis oblique view shows a portion of the Rim of the crater Eminescu. The angle of this image provides a great perspective for viewing the spectacular Cliffs that formed as material slumped from the Crater Rim into the Crater Interior, as well as small ponds of impact melt perched on the Rim.
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-Km/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: December, 05th, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 231611014
Image ID: 1099316
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 9,8° North
Center Longitude: 115,5° East
Resolution: 34 meters/pixel
Scale: the scene is approximately 35 km (about 22 miles)
Solar Incidence Angle: 65,1° (meaning that the Sun was about 24,9° above the Local Horizon when the picture was taken)
Emission Angle: 60,1°
Sun-Mercury-MESSENGER (or "Phase") Angle: 125,3°MareKromium
(5 voti)
|
|
ZZ-Mercury-Pond-PIA15203-PCF-LXTT.jpgMercurian "Pond" (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)238 visiteThis image shows a small Pond of impact melt that was ejected from a Crater just out of view. The melt ponded in this low, forming a smooth surface similar to the Melt Ponds south of Kuiper Crater. North is toward the upper right corner.
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-Km/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: November 06, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 229105038
Image ID: 980525
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: 63,9° North
Center Longitude: 256,5° East
Resolution: 16 meters/pixel
Scale: the smooth region is approximately 3 Km (about 1,9 miles) across
Solar Incidence Angle: 69,5° (meaning that the Sun is about 20,5° above the Local Horizon)
Emission Angle: 15,6°
Sun-Mercury-MESSENGER (such as "Phase") Angle: 85,2°MareKromium
(5 voti)
|
|
ZZ-Mercury-Volcanic_Regions-PIA10942-PCF-LXTT.jpgMercurian Volcano (Enhanced Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)212 visiteAs reported in the July 4th, 2008 issue of Science Magazine, Volcanoes have been discovered on Mercury’s Surface from images acquired during MESSENGER’s first Mercury Fly-By. This image shows the largest feature identified as a Volcano in the upper center of the scene. The Volcano has a central kidney-shaped depression, which is the Vent, and a broad smooth Dome surrounding the Vent. The Volcano is located just inside the Rim of the Caloris Impact Basin. The Rim of the Basin is marked with Hills and Mountains, as visible in this image. The role of Volcanism in Mercury’s history had been previously debated, but MESSENGER’s discovery of the first identified Volcanoes on Mercury’s Surface shows that Volcanism was active in the distant past on the innermost Planet.
Date Acquired: January 14, 2008
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET:108826877
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Resolution: 270 meters/pixel (0,17 miles/pixel)
Scale: this image is about 270 Km across (approx. 170 miles)
Spacecraft Altitude: 10.500 Km (approx. 6500 miles)MareKromium
(5 voti)
|
|
ZZ-Mercury-Craters-Raditladi_Impact_Basin-PIA14856-PCF-LXTT.jpgFeatures of Raditladi Impact Basin (Enhanced Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)234 visiteCaption NASA:"View of a section of the Floor and Peak-Ring Mountains of the Raditladi Impact Basin. The individual frames in the mosaic are about 20 km wide. The rounded, depressions, called "Hollows" are a fascinating discovery of MESSENGER's orbital mission and may have been formed by Sublimation of a component of the material when exposed by the Raditladi Impact Event.
Date Presented: September 29, 2011, at a NASA press briefing
Instrument: Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)MareKromium
(5 voti)
|
|
ZZ-Mercury-Crater_Chains-PIA14529-PCF-LXTT.jpgFirdousi's Smooth Plains & Crater Chains (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team) 157 visiteDate acquired: July, 17, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 219349510, 219349512, 219349518
Image ID: 513659, 513658, 513662
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 9 (1000 nanometers), 7 (750 nanometers), 6 (433 nanometers) as red-green-blue
Center Latitude: 6,77° North
Center Longitude: 69,01° East
Resolution: 1330 meters/pixel
Scale: the large crater in the lower left quadrant of this image is about 134 Km (83,214 miles) in diameter
Solar Incidence Angle: 52,4°
Emission Angle: 0,3°
Sun-Mercury-Spacecraft (or "Phase") Angle: 52,4°MareKromium
(5 voti)
|
|
| 248 immagini su 21 pagina(e) |
|
|
4 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
