This stunning view includes both the terminator and the limb. Basho crater, an 80-km-diameter, complex crater with a prominent central peak, can be seen near the center of the scene.

Date acquired: January 11, 2012
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 234794915
Image ID: 1253094
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: -33.9°
Center Longitude: 188.4° E
Resolution: 713 meters/pixel
Scale: Mercury is 2440 km (1516 mi.) in diameter

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, MDIS is scheduled to acquire more than 75,000 images in support of MESSENGER's science goals.

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.