In Mercury's northern plains, Abedin crater stands out as a relatively fresh impact crater. Impact melt that fractured as it cooled and solidified covers much of the crater floor. What makes this image so striking is the contrast between the relatively smooth floor and the velvety appearance of the continuous ejecta deposit.

This image was acquired as part of MDIS's high-resolution stereo imaging campaign. Images from the stereo imaging campaign are used in combination with the surface morphology base map or the albedo base map to create high-resolution stereo views of Mercury's surface, with an average resolution of 200 meters/pixel. Viewing the surface under the same Sun illumination conditions but from two or more viewing angles enables information about the small-scale topography of Mercury's surface to be obtained.

Date acquired: March 07, 2013
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 4996638
Image ID: 3649174
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filter: 7 (748 nanometers)
Center Latitude: 61.77°
Center Longitude: 352.7° E
Resolution: 207 meters/pixel
Scale: Abedin is 116 km (72 mi.) in diameter.
Incidence Angle: 61.9°
Emission Angle: 7.2°
Phase Angle: 69.2°

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.