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This NAC image shows a close-up view of the craters Vyasa and Stravinsky (PIA11360). Stravinsky is the smooth-floored crater partially seen on the right side of the image that overlies the rim of the larger, rougher crater Vyasa in the center and left. The low-Sun lighting angle casts distinctive shadows that show Mercury's rough surface, pockmarked by craters of all sizes. Small craters are visible on the smooth-floor of Stravinsky because of the high resolution of this image.

Date Acquired: October 6, 2008
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 131771118
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Resolution: 140 meters/pixel (0.09 miles/pixel) near the bottom of the image
Scale: Stravinsky crater is 190 kilometers in diameter (120 miles)
Spacecraft Altitude: 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles)

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.