image: These are two simple cylindrical views of Mercury over +/-75° latitude, 0° to 360°E longitude. (A) Enhanced color MDIS (Mercury Dual Imaging System) WAC (wide-angle camera) mosaics. Areas in white are regions not yet imaged by MESSENGER. (B) Geologic map of Mercury from MESSENGER WAC and NAC (narrow-angle camera) mosaics and Mariner 10 clear-filter mosaics. Light yellow, HRP (high-reflectance red plains) and IP (intermediate plains); dark yellow, LBP (low-reflectance blue plains); light blue, regional LRM (low-reflectance material); dark blue, LRM center; black, other (fresh crater ejecta or IT (intermediate terrain)); and white, no data. Crosshatches indicate areas not mapped because of high Sun illumination. Areas near the terminator in (A) appear unnaturally red; until the final WAC calibration is available, color distinctions are subject to revision. This image accompanied the report, “The Evolution of Mercury’s Crust: A Global Perspective from MESSENGER,” by B. Denevi and colleagues appearing in the May 1, 2009, issue of Science. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of <i>Science</i>/ AAAS