Physics – Geophysics
Scientific paper
Aug 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006iaujd..10e..23k&link_type=abstract
Progress in Planetary Exploration Missions, 26th meeting of the IAU, Joint Discussion 10, 21-22 August 2006, Prague, Czech Repub
Physics
Geophysics
Scientific paper
Results of observations of the unknown portion of Mercury are presented. The observations were made by the millisecond exposure method. The planet's disk subtended, on average, 7 arcsec. Geocentric distance of Mercury was 0.87 AU. The observations were carried out in a near IR-range. For the instrument with diameter D=1.25 m, on wavelength λ = 600 nanometer the ratio 1.22 λ/D = 0.15 arc sec, limiting resolution on surface of the planet should make exactly 100 km. Under good atmospheric conditions a sufficient number of initial electronic images were obtained that when stacked increased the signal to noise ratio and gave rise to resolution that dramatically shows unprecedented detail of the surface albedo and physical features. By processing a great number of electronic images, a sufficiently distinct synthesized image of the planet's surface was obtained. The most prominent formation in the sector 210° to 290°W longitude, a region not imaged by Mariner 10 is a giant basin centered at about 8N, 280W. The inner portion of this double rimmed basin extends 1000 km across. The total dimension of the outer eroded rim is slightly more than 2000 km. This basin includes and extends west and north of the dark albedo feature known as Solitudo Criophori. Many well defined impact craters have also been imaged. Some regions within the basin area have circular rims that apparently lack rayed structure or evidence of ejecta material. An attempt has been made to restore information about relief of the 210° to 290°W (70° to 150°E) longitude sector. In addition, regions on the order of 10° of latitude and 10° of longitude have been examined and reveal rayed craters in comparable detail to the Aericebo radar imaging and, at the same location of craters where radar backscatter indicates infilling by volatiles or some other highly coherent backscattering material. Implications of the huge basin for the geophysics of Mercury are discussed.
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