[X] My Assistant

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

Please post Your photos of Mercury globes [attachment=8785:attachment]

[edstrick]

Additional comment: This is the picture I call the "Moldy Orange" shot. Not a pretty planet.

It is our only good overall view of albedo patterns near the sub-solar point and across the southern hemisphere. The original post-mission mosaics from the narrow angle images show mosaic albedo mis-matches and assorted camera shading problems, or were high-pass filtered and obliterate regional brightness variation. I'm not sure if better full-disc mosaics have been published that reduce mosaic-mottles to below the noise level of this image.

[karolp]

From what I see Baumgardner's composite images show the "unknown" hemisphere to be even more Moon-like with a rayed crater and a large "mare"-like structure. Is it possible that Solar tides have induced lava outflows which formed Mercurian "maria" just like those on the "near" side of the Moon? Did Mariner 10 photograph the "near" (facing Sun) or "far" side of Mercury?

[4th rock from th...]

Here's an attempt to project distant Mariner 10 images of Mercury on a global map. Global albedo variations are visible and color was computed from clear, blue and UV filtered images were available. The image posted by tedstryk was included.

The matching of the images is far from perfect, but it looks nice! Also, with proper care, it's possible to extend surface coverage a little.

[As old as Voyage...]

Here's an attempt to project distant Mariner 10 images of Mercury on a global map. Global albedo variations are visible and color was computed from clear, blue and UV filtered images were available. The image posted by tedstryk was included.

The matching of the images is far from perfect, but it looks nice! Also, with proper care, it's possible to extend surface coverage a little.

Here's a link to a Mercator projection of Mercury's surface combining Mariner 10 data & Baumgardner's images.

http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0005/28mercury/index.html

Radar studies also indicate that the dark area of missing data between the Mariner 10 & Baumgardner coverage contains a huge impact basin.

I wrote a piece for UK magazine Astronomy Now on Baumgardner's images some time ago; fascinating stuff. That rayed crater is perhaps one of Mercury's youngest surface features.