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The feature indicated by the white arrow in this NAC image is the newly
named crater Enwonwu (see PIA11762). It is named in honor of Benedict
(Ben) Chukwukadibia Enwonwu, the twentieth century modernist Nigerian
sculptor and painter. Enwonwu crater displays a central peak and a set of
bright rays emanating from the crater rim. The rays cross the surrounding
surface and neighboring craters, indicating that Enwonwu crater was formed
comparatively recently in Mercury’s history. The brightness of the rays
also suggests relative youth, as over time rays darken and disappear on
Mercury's surface. These relationships provide useful indicators for
determining the relative ages of features and the sequence of events that
have shaped the surface of Mercury.
Date Acquired: January 14, 2008
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 108829024
Instrument: Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Resolution: 590 meters/pixel (0.37 miles/pixel)
Scale: Enwonwu is 38 kilometers (24 miles) in diameter
Spacecraft Altitude: 23,000 kilometers (14,300 miles)
These images are from MESSENGER, a NASA Discovery mission to conduct the
first orbital study of the innermost planet, Mercury. For information
regarding the use of images, see the MESSENGER image use policy.
