This enhanced-color image shows Titian crater (center) and is similar to
an image that recently appeared in the 1 May issue of Science magazine.
The enhanced-color view was created by using high-resolution images taken
in all 11 WAC filers (one of which is shown in a previously released
image, see PIA11765) and comparing and contrasting them to accentuate
differences on Mercury’s surface. Such color differences can be used to
learn about the history of Mercury’s surface in this area. In the enhanced
color, the smooth floor of Titian is a brighter orange color than the
surrounding area, likely due to being filled with volcanic material.
Ejecta from Titian appear blue and cover much of the surface surrounding
the crater. This material was excavated from depth during the crater’s
formation. Later impacts, such as the one that produced the small crater
that appears yellow in the upper center of the image, excavated material
from below the Titian ejecta. This yellow-appearing material was present
at or near the surface before the impact that created Titian and is a
different composition (and thus, color) from its surroundings. Impacts
make it possible to assess how Mercury’s crust varies with depth and
ultimately how the crust evolved through time.
Date Acquired: October 6, 2008
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Resolution: 462 meters/pixel (0.29 miles/pixel)
Scale: Titian crater is 121 kilometers (75 miles) in diameter
These images are from MESSENGER, a NASA Discovery mission to conduct the
first orbital study of the innermost planet, Mercury. For information
regarding the use of images, see the MESSENGER image use policy.