Mercury by Messenger- Jan 14 2008

by: Nasa/JHUAPL/ Carnegie Institution of Washington/Novapix
Reference: a-mer04-00002
Date: 2008-01-17

This image was taken on January 14, 2008 by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft with the Narrow Angle Camera about 37 minutes following the spacecraft's closest approach to Mercury. The image reveals the surface of Mercury at a resolution of about 360 meters/pixel (about 1180 feet/pixel), and the width of the image is about 370 kilometers (about 230 miles). It shows a previously unseen crater with distinctive bright rays of ejected material extending radially outward from the crater's center. A chain of craters nearby is also visible.

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