A long scarp runs vertically through the center of this image, deforming pre-existing craters along its length. At the bottom of this image, the scarp cuts through the wall and floor of the crater Ts'ai Wen-Chi (124 km diameter), named for the Han Dynasty poet and composer.

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.

Date acquired: August 04, 2011
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 220977824
Image ID: 591397
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: 27.73°
Center Longitude: 337.4° E
Resolution: 432 meters/pixel
Scale: This image is approximately 600 km (370 miles) across
Incidence Angle: 81.9°
Emission Angle: 38.2°
Phase Angle: 120.2°

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.