Groundhog Day

Date acquired: April 15, 2011 Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 211373761 Image ID: 134995 Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers) Center Latitude: 82.30° Center Longitude: 29.57° E Resolution: 324 meters/pixel Scale: The crater is about 15 km (9 miles) in diameter. Incidence Angle: 87.9° Emission Angle: 0.1° Phase Angle: 87.8° Of Interest: This image features a simple crater surrounded by a relatively smooth surface. The pristine crater rim is an indication that this is a relatively fresh crater. The high incidence angle at which this image was taken results in a large shadow covering the crater floor, making it appear very deep - the perfect depth for a future groundhog spotting. The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the Solar System's innermost planet. Visit the Why Mercury? section of this website to learn more about the key science questions that the MESSENGER mission is addressing. During the one-year primary mission, MESSENGER acquired 88,746 images and extensive other data sets. MESSENGER is now in a yearlong extended mission, during which plans call for the acquisition of more than 80,000 additional images to support MESSENGER's science goals. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington