PDS logoPlanetary Data System
PDS Information
Find a Node - Use these links to navigate to any of the 8 publicly accessible PDS Nodes.

This bar indicates that you are within the PDS enterprise which includes 6 science discipline nodes and 2 support nodes which are overseen by the Project Management Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Each node is led by an expert in the subject discipline, supported by an advisory group of other practitioners of that discipline, and subject to selection and approval under a regular NASA Research Announcement.
Click here to return to the Photojournal Home Page Click here to view a list of Photojournal Image Galleries Photojournal_inner_header
Latest Images  |  Spacecraft & Technology  |  Animations  |  Space Images App  |  Feedback  |  Photojournal Search  

PIA00469: Venus - Complex Network of Narrow Fractures Near Hestia Rupes Region
This image from NASA's Magellan spacecraft covers region near Hestia Rupes on the northwestern corner of Aphrodite Terra. This complex network exhibits tributary-like branches similar to those observed in river systems on Earth.
 Target Name:  Venus
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Magellan 
 Spacecraft:  Magellan
 Instrument:  Imaging Radar 
 Product Size:  1737 x 818 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  JPL 
 Producer ID:  P38104  
 Addition Date:  1996-10-23 
 Primary Data Set:  Magellan MIDRs 
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA00469.tif (1.342 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA00469.jpg (475.7 kB)  

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

This is a Magellan radar image covering a 105- kilometer (63-mile) by 45-kilometer (27-mile) region near Hestia Rupes on the northwestern corner of Aphrodite Terra. The complex network of narrow (<1 kilometer) fractures in the center of the image extends for approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles). This network exhibits tributary-like branches similar to those observed in river systems on Earth. However, the angular intersections of tributaries suggest tectonic control. These features appear to be due to drainage of lava along preexisting fractures and subsequent collapse of the surface. The underlying tectonic fabric can be observed in the northeast trending ridges which predate the plains.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL

Image Addition Date:
1996-10-23