In this image, one is immediately drawn to the rayed crater in the lower right. Ives crater, named in 1979 after American composer Charles Edward Ives, is smaller than many craters in this image, but it is younger and therefore brighter than its surrounding terrain.

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.

Date acquired: May 20, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 214374721
Image ID: 276065
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: -29.74°
Center Longitude: 245.4° E
Resolution: 933 meters/pixel
Scale:The width of this image is 677 km (421 mi).
Incidence Angle: 49.0°
Emission Angle: 1.7°
Phase Angle: 50.7°

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.