Presented here is a fine view of the 75-km diameter crater Rimbaud. Arthur Rimbaud was a French poet who lived from 1854 to 1891. He had a stormy relationship with Paul Verlaine, a symbolist poet. In Brussels in 1873, Verlaine shot Rimbaud, wounding him in the wrist. No crater named Verlaine exists on Mercury. A Verlaine crater on Mars was named for a town in France. Crossing the eastern floor and wall of Rimbaud from south to north is a ray from crater Han Kan.

This image was acquired as a targeted set of stereo images. Targeted stereo observations are acquired at resolutions much higher than that of the 200-meter/pixel stereo base map. These targets acquired with the NAC enable the detailed topography of Mercury's surface to be determined for a local area of interest.

Date acquired: November 12, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 26596630
Image ID: 5185060
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Center Latitude: -63.38°
Center Longitude: 211.7° E
Resolution: 147 meters/pixel
Scale: Rimbaud crater is about 75 km (46.5 mi.) across.
Incidence Angle: 67.4°
Emission Angle: 22.9°
Phase Angle: 71.8°

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.