Incredible ‘sideways` look at Mercury`s limb
Tuesday, November 29, 2011 - 10:20
in Astronomy & Space
Wow -- just wow! Heres a unique, jaw-dropping, and beautiful look at Mercury from the MESSENGER spacecraft, in a mosaic created from nine images taken by the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS). The camera took a sideways or oblique view of Mercurys limb, looking towards the horizon, providing a distinctive look at the rough terrain, ridges, craters and scarps of the Van Eyck Formation region, adjacent to the Caloris basin. Combining the images for a larger view not only provides a you are there feel, but it provides the science team with new ways to study Mercurys geology.