Degas Crater
Degas crater is shown here in spectacular detail, taken by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, currently in orbit around Mercury. This high-resolution mosaic is made up of five separate images. The floor of the crater contains cracks that formed as the melt sheet cooled and contracted. Downslope movement of material on the central peaks and walls has exposed fresh, bright material.
This mosaic is made up of images acquired as high-resolution targeted observations. Targeted observations are images of a small area on Mercury's surface at resolutions much higher than the 200-meter/pixel morphology base map. It is not possible to cover all of Mercury's surface at this high resolution, but typically several areas of high scientific interest are imaged in this mode each week.
Image: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington [high-resolution]
Caption: Mercury MESSENGER team
