This image shows a portion interior of the Raditladi basin. The inset shows the location of the main image. The floor (white arrows) and peak rings (yellow arrows) exhibit amazing examples of "hollows," an unexpected landform found in MESSENGER high-resolution images. Hollows are shallow, irregular, bright depressions whose formation may involve loss of volatile material.

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 Presented: September 29, 2011, at a NASA Press Briefing
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)

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.