Digital Photomosaics of Mercury

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		These digital photomosaics of Mercury were made from images transmitted to Earth during the first encounter of Mariner 10 on March 29, 1974. The incoming view (left) and the outgoing view (right) are made up of more than 170 images obtained as the spacecraft approached and moved away from Mercury. In the 1970s, photomosaics were constructed by literally cutting and pasting photographs together. The incoming and outgoing digital mosaics were created by reprocessing the mariner 10 images using modern computers and software. Images courtesy of M.S. Robinson

 

Southern Hemisphere Region

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This digital photomosaic of the south polar region of Mercury shows the heavily cratered terrain, areas with multiple overlapping impact craters. Patches of cratered terrain are separated by relatively smooth, intercrater plains. Lobate scarps, tectonic features that indicate contractions of the crust, deform both the cratered terrain and the younger intercrater plains. Image courtesy of M.S. Robinson