New photo shows planet Mercury as never seen before

Thanks for posting the large photos.

BBB

Thank u, BBB

This NAC image shows a bright crater with an extensive system of impact ejecta rays; the crater is also clearly visible on the southern portion of Mercury near the limb of the planet in the departure full-planet image (PIA11245). This impact crater and its associated system of rays were originally detected in 1969 as a “bright feature” in radar images at 12.5-centimeter wavelength obtained by the Goldstone Observatory in California. Subsequently, about a decade ago, radar images acquired by the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico clearly revealed this feature to be a crater with a fresh system of rays of rough material radiating outward from it. This feature has been referred to simply as feature “A.” MESSENGER’s recent Mercury flyby provided the first spacecraft images of feature “A,” enabling this relatively young crater with its impressive set of rays to be seen here in close-up detail.

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11371

It is imperative that we disseminate human DNA
over other celestial bodies so that next time Earth gets hit
with a major meteor, it will not render us extinct.
It took a while for us to evolve.

However, I gotta give a lotta credit to whoever has the determination
to colonize other celestial bodies in this solar system:
the inner planets (except Earth)
are all bleak desserts, subject to both extremes of temperature.

After the novelty wears off, thay will offer rich supplies of boredom.

"...a crater with a fresh system of rays of rough material radiating outward from it."

Which would be what? Radiation?

Yeah, the rough material was radiated out.

The materials were radiated out as in displaced then, causing the crater? I was reading it as a reference to the light (white) spots radiating as if there was a form of energy, and then asking what form that energy would be in.

Yeah


No, just the kinetic energy from the impact.