English: Date acquired: January 13, 2012
Image Mission Elapsed Time (MET): 234961021, 234961017, 234961013
Image ID: 1261261, 1261260, 1261259
Instrument: Wide Angle Camera (WAC) of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
WAC filters: 9, 7, 6 (996, 748, 433 nanometers) in red, green, and blue
Center Latitude: 28.31°
Center Longitude: 53.99° E
Resolution: 304 meters/pixel
Scale: Rachmaninoff basin is about 306 km (~190 miles) in diameter
Incidence Angle: 56.7°
Emission Angle: 28.4°
Phase Angle: 85.1°
Of Interest: This color image of Rachmaninoff highlights the many unique features of this impact basin. Here, the inner ring of Rachmaninoff's double ring structure appears blue, showing evidence of Low Reflectance Material (LRM). This contrasts with the lighter inner ring floor, in which concentric troughs are also visible. Scattered hollows across the tops of the peak rings also add to the range of features that are visible in this color image.
This image was acquired as a high-resolution targeted color observation. Targeted color observations are images of a small area on Mercury's surface at resolutions higher than the 1-kilometer/pixel 8-color base map. During MESSENGER's one-year primary mission, hundreds of targeted color observations were obtained. During MESSENGER's extended mission, high-resolution targeted color observations are more rare, as the 3-color base map is covering Mercury's northern hemisphere with the highest-resolution color images that are possible.