Crescent Mercury in Color
Explanation:
Hard to spot against the
twilight glow near planet Earth's horizon,
a crescent Mercury was imaged close up by the
MESSENGER
spacecraft early last week.
Colors in this
remarkable picture were
created using data
recorded through infrared, red, and violet filters.
The combination enhances color differences otherwise not visible to
the eye across the innermost planet's
cratered surface.
In this view,
light
bluish material seems to surround
relatively new craters,
contrasting with the mostly
drab, brown terrain.
Mercury itself is 4,880 kilometers in diameter.
The full resolution image shows features as small as 10 kilometers
across.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
