PIA18958: Water Ice Data Exploration (WIDE) Tool
 Target Name:  Mercury
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  MESSENGER
 Spacecraft:  MESSENGER
 Instrument:  Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) 
 Product Size:  666 x 720 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Johns Hopkins University/APL
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA18958.tif (1.439 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA18958.jpg (120.9 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:

Want to learn more about the permanent darkness inside the crater from Monday's Featured Image? Use the Water Ice Data Exploration (WIDE) tool! The four views shown here were captured from the WIDE tool, and the evidence from the radar, topography, shadow, and temperature datasets all support the presence of water ice in this crater!

Crater Center Latitude: 83.8°
Crater Center Longitude: 31.7° E
Scale: This crater has a diameter of 24 kilometers (15 miles)

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. During the first two years of orbital operations, 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.

Image Credit:
NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Image Addition Date:
2014-11-19