The crater Lermontov is named after a 19th century Russian poet, Mikhail Lermontov, who is sometimes called "the poet of the Caucasus." The color variations and irregular depressions suggest that this crater was once home to explosive volcanism. The crater also has small bright "spots" on its floor that are interpreted to be hollows.

This image was acquired as a high-resolution targeted color observation. Targeted color observations are images of a small area on Mercury's surface at resolutions higher than the 1-kilometer/pixel 8-color base map. During MESSENGER's one-year primary mission, hundreds of targeted color observations were obtained. During MESSENGER's extended mission, high-resolution targeted color observations are more rare, as the 3-color base map covered Mercury's northern hemisphere with the highest-resolution color images that are possible.

Date acquired: February 12, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 3010537, 3010557, 3010541
Image ID: 3507773, 3507778, 3507774
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filters: 9, 7, 6 (996, 748, 433 nanometers) in red, green, and blue
Center Latitude: 15.05°
Center Longitude: 312.1° E
Resolution: 282 meters/pixel
Scale: The larger crater, Lermontov, is 166 km in diameter (103 miles).
Incidence Angle: 49.3°
Emission Angle: 28.7°
Phase Angle: 78.0°

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. MESSENGER acquired over 150,000 images and extensive other data sets. MESSENGER is capable of continuing orbital operations until early 2015.

For information regarding the use of images, see the MESSENGER image use policy.