Lunar and Ceres Surface Features

High-resolution images of various lunar and Ceres craters, showcasing impact features, textures, and surface details.

Another Small Volcano

Assets in this Story

This high resolution image taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the floor of the Apollo Basin, a large (538 km diameter) double-ringed impact crater in the southern hemisphere of the far side.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft views a portion of the northern rim of Urvara Crater (101 miles, 163 kilometers wide) in this scene from Ceres taken on June 3, 2016, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows craters of different sizes and shapes in Vesta's southern hemisphere. The freshest craters can be classified as fresh scarp rimmed craters and the less fresh classified as partly degraded subdued rim craters.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows a portion of the southern rim of Jarovit Crater in the northern hemisphere of Ceres. Compacted material forms spurs along the upper part of the crater wall, near the center of the image.

Patches of bright material can be seen on the walls of a relatively fresh crater on Ceres in this view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft.

Another Small Volcano

NASA's Dawn spacecraft captured this portion of the southern hemisphere of Ceres on Dec. 20, 2015. The image is centered at approximately 46 degrees south latitude, 101 degrees east longitude.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers). The image, with a resolution of 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel, was taken on June 24, 2015.

An Eraser Mark on Eros

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows the largest crater on Ceres, called Kerwan. The crater has an appearance scientists refer to as relaxed, meaning its sharp features have softened since Kerwan formed. Its overall shape looks something like a pancake, especially when viewed near Ceres' limb. The origin of its polygonal shape is not yet well understood; it might be due to large faults in the subsurface generated by other large impacts, as has been suggested for other craters. The smaller crater named Insitor sits in the center of Kerwan. The dark material seen at top right is ejecta from Dantu crater. At 174 miles (280 kilometers) wide, Kerwan is so large that it would have taken about 50 images at Dawn's low-altitude mapping orbit (called LAMO, at 240 miles or 385 kilometers altitude) to cover the crater from one side to the other. Kerwan was also too wide to fit within the camera's field of view at Dawn's high-altitude mapping orbit (called HAMO, at 915 miles, 1,470 kilomete

Eratosthenes Central Peak

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter catches the edge of Mare Moscoviense.

Image of the Vesta Ateroid. This Dawn framing camera (FC) image of Vesta shows linear grooves and ridges in Vesta's regolith. These linear features generally run diagonally across the image from the top left to the bottom right. They are less than 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) in width and some have lengths that extend across the entire image. This image is located in Vesta's Tuccia quadrangle, in Vesta's southern hemisphere. NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image on April 8, 2012.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 24, 2015, shows Dantu crater on dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers); Dantu crater as small patches of bright material sprinkled around it.

Contact between Archimedes crater wall and floor.

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows part of the southwestern rim of Yalode Crater on Ceres. Yalode is one of the largest impact basins on Ceres. A great deal of material has slumped down the walls of the crater. a phenomenon called mass wasting.

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows a portion of Mondamin Crater, an impact feature 78 miles (126 kilometers) in diameter, in the southern hemisphere of Ceres.

Maximum Thrust

NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this moody scene on Ceres, located within Zadeni Crater, named for the ancient Georgian god of bountiful harvest. Dawn saw Zadeni at approximately 76 miles (120 kilometers) in diameter on June 15, 2016.

A New View of Spitteler and Holberg

This image of asteroid Vesta from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows a relatively smooth area of Vesta's surface. This region is smooth because it is mostly covered by fine-grained debris, known as regolith.

$Yalode crater is so large -- at 162 miles, 260 kilometers in diameter -- that a variety of vantage points is necessary to understand its geological context. This view of the northern portion of Yalode is one of many images NASA's Dawn spacecraft has taken of this crater. The large impact that formed the crater likely involved a lot of heat, which explains the relatively smooth crater floor punctuated by smaller craters. A couple of larger craters in Yalode have polygonal shapes. This type of crater shape is frequently found on Ceres and may be indicative of extensive underground fractures. The larger crater to the right of center in this image is called Lono (12 miles, 20 kilometers in diameter) and the one below it is called Besua (11 miles, 17 kilometers). Some of the small craters are accompanied by ejecta blankets that are more reflective than their surroundings. The strange Nar Sulcus fractures can be seen in the bottom left corner of the picture. Linear features seen throughout t$

Discovering New Rupes on Mercury

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on Aug. 20, 2011. This image was taken through the camera's clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel.

Boundary Lands

Raditladi basin, imaged during MESSENGER's first Mercury flyby and named in April 2008, is intriguing for several reasons.

Part of Ezinu Crater on Ceres is seen at top left in this image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft taken on Oct. 20, 2016. The crater features a network of canyon-like features.

Boundary of buried crater rim and mare basalt at Flamsteed P crater.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows a portion of the southern hemisphere of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). The image was taken on Sept. 21, 2015, and has a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows Arruntia crater, located in asteroid Vesta's Bellicia quadrangle, in Vesta's northern hemisphere.

The Mighty Caloris

This image of Ceres, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, features a large, steep-sided mountain and several intriguing bright spots. The mountain's height is estimated to be about 4 miles (6 kilometers). It is the highest point seen on Ceres so far.

Setting Eyes on Sōtatsu

This NAC mosaic of the newly discovered Rembrandt impact basin was presented last week during a NASA media teleconference. The number per area and size distribution of impact craters superposed on Rembrandt's rim indicates that it is one of the younges

Hokusai's Molten Past

This image of a small boulder on Ceres was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 10, 2018 from an altitude of about 24 miles (38 kilometers).

Along the embayed Paddington crater rim is a dome that may be an ancient volcano with a summit pit crater.

NASA's Dawn took this image on June 17, 2016, of Tibong Crater (22 miles, 36 kilometers wide), at left, on Ceres.

This view of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows a fresh impact crater with a flat floor. The crater is surrounded by smooth, flow-like ejecta that covers adjacent older impact craters. The crater is about 16 miles (26 kilometers) in diameter.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows a relatively smooth part of asteroid Vesta's surface. This smooth texture is probably due to the surface being covered in a layer of tiny dust particles.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft of asteroid Vesta shows chains of craters on an undulating surface probably formed of fine-grained debris, called regolith, which was ejected from large impact craters as they formed nearby.

This view, taken on Oct. 22, 2016, from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows the craters Kondos and Jarimba on Ceres. Jarimba is the largest crater, located at left. Above Jarimba, on the left-hand edge of the image, is Kondos.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft captures part of the northern rim of Urvara Crater (101 miles, 163 kilometers wide). obtained on June 2, 2016, from its low-altitude mapping orbit, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface.

Tea Time with MESSENGER

NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this image that shows a mountain ridge, near lower left, that lies in the center of Urvara crater on Ceres. Urvara is an Indian and Iranian deity of plants and fields. The crater's diameter is 101 miles (163 kilometers).

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft is centered on a small, young, fresh crater with bright and dark ejecta rays extending from it. The crater is located in Vesta's Tuccia quadrangle on asteroid Vesta.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft, taken on June 6, 2016, features bright material (at upper left) along the rim of the giant crater named Kerwan (174 miles, 280 kilometers wide) on Ceres.

This image of Ceres, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows three prominent craters located to the northeast of a terrace (the terrace feature being located at left in this image).

This image was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on July 1, 2018 from an altitude of about 179 miles (288 kilometers). The center of this picture is located at about 67.3 degrees south latitude and 249.1 degrees east longitude.

This image of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows hummocky terrain -- a surface covered in low, rounded hills -- with numerous impact craters of varying sizes.

This image captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft features the shadowy rim of an unnamed crater on Ceres. The crater on the left appears relatively old, as its flanks are rugged and the crater density inside it is more or less uniform.

Shadows cast a dark mood on this scene from Ceres, near the dwarf planet's north pole in this image acquired by NASA's Dawn spacecraft.

Young and Wrinkled

Buon Giorno, Raphael!

NASA's Dawn Spacecraft took this image of Gaue crater, the large crater on the bottom, on Ceres. Gaue is a Germanic goddess to whom offerings are made in harvesting rye. The resolution of the image is 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel.

Though NASA's MESSENGER's days are numbered, the spacecraft will continue to acquire new data sets and transmit them back to Earth during its final days. Shown here is a high-resolution view snapped near Heemskerck Rupes.

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows terrain on Ceres centered at approximately 37 degrees south latitude, 51 degrees east longitude.

Between the Valleys of the Ancients

A field of bright rays, created by ejecta from a crater, radiating to the north (top) from off camera (lower right) is seen in this view of Mercury taken Sept. 21, 1974 by NASA's Mariner 10.

At an Angle. This image NASA's MESSENGER features an elongated impact crater north of Rembrandt impact basin. This crater was most likely formed by a oblique impact which created the crater's distinct elongated shape and central peak.

Lifting the Veil of Anonymity

The colorful rocks exposed in the central peak visible in this image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter probably reflect variations in mineral content that were caused by water activity early in Mars' history.

Two overlapping, unnamed craters with long shadows are seen high in the northern hemisphere of Ceres, captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on April 21, 2016.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows a portion of the northern hemisphere of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). Featured here is Dantu crater, named for the Ghanan god associated with the planting of corn.

This image, acquired yesterday, is one of NASA's MESSENGER's last. Today, April 30, 2015, the spacecraft will complete its highly successful orbital mission and impact the surface of Mercury.

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft captured on Dec. 21, 2015 shows a portion of the northern hemisphere of Ceres. Bright material can be seen in the wall of the large crater at upper left.

Torrent in Tolstoj

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows Fabia crater, located in asteroid Vesta's Numisia quadrangle, in Vesta's northern hemisphere.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows the surface of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). The image, with a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel, was taken on August 26, 2015.

This image of Urvara Crater was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 20, 2018 from an altitude of about 920 miles (1480 kilometers). The center of Urvara Crater is located at about 46 degrees south in latitude and 249 degrees east in longitude.

The Witch and the Skeleton Spectre

This southern hemisphere scene from dwarf planet Ceres encompasses parts of the craters Mondamin and Darzamat. Mondamin is large crater located in the top half of image, Darzamat is at bottom-right. NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this image on Oct. 19, 2016.

This image of a small crater north of Ceres' Datan Crater was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 9, 2018 from an altitude of about 48 miles (77 kilometers).

$This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows Ikapati Crater with its complex of central peaks on Ceres. Several groupings of roughly parallel fractures are present in smooth areas of the crater floor.$

NASA's MESSENGER is again sending images back to Earth after the spacecraft emerged from superior solar conjunction, when communication is largely blocked by the Sun. These will be some of our last views of Mercury from MESSENGER.

The Smoothness of Schubert

This image of Domna AV-L-17, from the atlas of the giant asteroid Vesta, was created from images taken as NASA's Dawn mission flew around the object, also known as a protoplanet.

his image of Claudia AV-L-23, from the atlas of the giant asteroid Vesta, was created from images taken as NASA's Dawn mission flew around the object, also known as a protoplanet.

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft includes Haulani, a relatively fresh crater 19 miles (31 kilometers) in diameter. The interior of Haulani shows landslides from its crater rim, along with smooth material and a central ridge on its crater floor.

A fresh new crater in the center of an older crater basin is shown in this picture of the surface of Mercury taken March 29, 1974 by NASA's Mariner 10.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows the edge of Ezinu Crater on Ceres. Dawn took this image on June 10, 2016, from its low-altitude mapping orbit, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface.

Lichtenberg crater is of Eratosthenian age, located in western Oceanus Procellarum.

A Diamond in the Rough

This image of Ceres is part of a sequence taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 22, 2015, from a distance of 3,200 miles (5,100 kilometers) with a resolution of 1,600 feet (480 meters) per pixel.

This image of a battered crater rim on Ceres was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 10, 2018 from an altitude of about 25 miles (40 kilometers).

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft of Ceres shows a small, double-impact crater (at bottom) near a larger crater. The larger structure has a crater floor with roughly the same crater density.

Looking in Detail at a Spectacular Double-Ring Basin

Slope Failure near Aratus Crater

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of the giant asteroid Vesta with its framing camera on Aug. 14 2011. This image was taken through the camera's clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows the surface of dwarf planet Ceres at mid-latitudes from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). The image was taken on Sept. 21, 2015, and has a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel.

The tall, cone-shaped mountain Ahuna Mons is seen in this image taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. Ahuna Mons taken on Oct. 14, 2015.

A Brief History of Time

Battered Dione

I Just Can't Get Enough!

Terraces in Eratosthenes Crater

This image of Fabia AV-L-13, from the atlas of the giant asteroid Vesta, was created from images taken as NASA's Dawn mission flew around the object, also known as a protoplanet.

Inamahari Crater on Ceres, the large well-defined crater at the center of this image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft, is one of the sites where scientists have discovered evidence for organic material.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft is dominated by a wide, young, fresh crater on asteroid Vesta. Surrounding this crater is its ejecta blanket, a covering of small particles that were thrown out during the impact that formed the crater.

The High-Incidence Campaign

Double Whammy

Covered Catullus

This image, taken on June 10, 2016 by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows cratered terrain on Ceres. Dawn took this image from its low-altitude mapping orbit, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface.

Unchained

Orientale Basin

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows many craters of different sizes and states of preservation on asteroid Vesta's surface. In the top of the image there are four large, very degraded craters.

Antoniadi Ridge, over 450 kilometers long, runs along the right side of this acquired image during NASA's Mariner 10's first encounter with Mercury after its launch in 1974.

This image was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on July 3, 2018 from an altitude of about 28 miles (44 kilometers). The center of this picture is located at about 18.0 degrees north latitude and 238.0 degrees east longitude.

This image, from NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, is located about 500 km east of the Caloris basin and shows hummocky plains interpreted as Caloris ejecta in the upper half of the picture and smooth plains in the lower half.

Distinctive asymmetrical ejecta surrounding a 140 meter diameter crater in the lunar highlands as seen by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Crater is located on the northeastern rim of the eroded (pre-Nectarian) crater Hommel.

This image of Numisia AV-L-21, from the atlas of the giant asteroid Vesta, was created from images taken as NASA's Dawn mission flew around the object, also known as a protoplanet.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows the surface of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). The image was taken on August 21, 2015, and has a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel.

Rima Calippus in northwest Mare Serenitatis.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Oct. 17, 2016, captures the day-night boundary, or terminator, in the north polar region of Ceres. The north pole itself, which lies just slightly left of center in this view, is barely sunlit.

A Closer Look at Glinka

A Path not Taken

A Wrinkle Ridge in Time

Just nine minutes after NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft passed 200 kilometers (124 miles) above the surface of Mercury, its closest distance to the planet during the January 14, 2008, flyby, the Wide Angle Camera (WAC) snapped this image.

Side Hit

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows a sinuous canyon in the southern hemisphere of Ceres, south of Yalode Crater.

Eminent Eminescu

Mercury's Geology: A Story with Many Chapters

In the best-selling novel 'The Martian' and the movie based on it, stranded astronaut Mark Watney's adventures take him to the rim of Mawrth Crater. This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the nature of this terrain.

This view from NASA's captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Dec. 21,2015, shows the central complex of mountain peaks within Dantu Crater on Ceres. A patch of bright material is visible near lower left.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft flys over dwarf planet Ceres which Dawn has been orbiting for mre than a year, providing us with fascinating views of an alien world.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows many large subdued craters that have smaller, younger craters on top of them on asteroid Vesta. There are two large subdued craters in the center of the image, which have very degraded and rounded rims.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this image on Feb. 4, 2016, showing a double impact feature at high northern latitudes on Ceres, just south of the large crater named Ghanan.

This crater illustrates the narrow hummocky rim facies, radial ridges, and surrounding extensive field of secondary craters. This image of Mercury was taken by NASA's Mariner 10.

A Choreographer's Crater

This image, taken June 6, 2015 by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows Haulani crater on Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) with a resolution of 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel. North on Ceres is toward upper right.

This image, from NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows a crater just north of the Caloris Planitia displays interior and central peaks rising up from a hilly floor.

This image, from NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, is of the northeastern quadrant of the Caloris basin and shows the smooth hills and domes between the inner and outer scarps and the well-developed radial system east of the outer scarp

Belinskij and Craters of Darkness

Over the Edge

This zoomed-in view of Epimetheus, one of the highest resolution ever taken, shows a surface covered in craters, vivid reminders of the hazards of space. Epimetheus (70 miles or 113 kilometers across) is too small for its gravity to hold onto an atmosphere. It is also too small to be geologically active. There is therefore no way to erase the scars from meteor impacts, except for the generation of new impact craters on top of old ones. This view looks toward anti-Saturn side of Epimetheus. North on Epimetheus is up and rotated 32 degrees to the right. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Feb. 21, 2017 using a spectral filter which preferentially admits wavelengths of near-infrared light centered at 939 nanometers. The view was acquired at a distance of approximately 9,300 miles (15,000 kilometers) from Epimetheus and at a Sun-Epimetheus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 71 degrees. Image scale is 290 feet (89 meters) per pixel.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft captured this view of a region in the mid-southern latitudes of Ceres. The largest crater in the scene is Fluusa. Fluusa has a densely cratered floor and therefore is interpreted as an old impact feature.

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows impact craters near Ceres' equator where material from the rim of one crater has apparently collapsed into its neighbor. A variety of large boulders are visible within the younger crater at top.

Blue Serge

NASA's Dawn spacecraft spied this relatively smooth area of Ceres' surface, which includes the feature named Dalien Tholus, a dome-shaped feature visible in top right quadrant of the image.

Different Strokes

Craters Near the South Pole of Callisto

$NASA's Cassini spacecraft swooped in for a close-up of the cratered, fractured surface of Saturn's moon Dione in this image taken during the spacecraft's Jan. 27, 2010, non-targeted flyby.$

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows cratered terrain at 59 degrees north latitude, 89 degrees east longitude on Ceres, just east of the large crater named Omonga.

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft taken on May 29, 2016, shows terrain on Ceres centered at approximately 41 degrees north latitude, 308 degrees east longitude. Several features in this view display streaks and patches of bright material.

Kalidasa in Detail

This view shows the southwestern rim of 106-mile-wide (170-kilometer-wide) Urvara crater on Ceres.In the crater's center is a prominent double peak. NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained the image on Oct. 15, 2015.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on Aug. 26, 2011. The detail in this image shows impacts of all sizes, grooves, scarps and smooth areas.

Imagine

Medusae Fossae #2

A Volcanic View

Wrinkle Ridges in Aitken Crater

This image of Ceres, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows cratered terrain at high northern latitudes. Ghanan Crater is seen at upper-right. A distinctive flow feature extends into the crater from its northern rim.

Contact High

Up Close and Personal

Five of Five: The Last Scene in a High-resolution Color Mosaic

The Tolstoj Impact Basin

$This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft highlights Axomama Crater, the small crater shown to the right of center. It is 3 miles (5 kilometers) in diameter and located just inside the western rim of Dantu Crater. Axomama is one of the newly named craters on Ceres. Its sharp edges indicate recent emplacement by a small impact. This picture also shows details on the floor of Dantu, which comprises most of the image. The many fractures and the central pit (see also PIA20303) are reminiscent of Occator Crater and could point to a similar formation history, involving activity driven by the presence of liquid water in the subsurface. Axomama is named after the Incan goddess of potato, or Potato-mother. NASA's Dawn spacecraft acquired this picture during its extended mission on July 24, 2016, from its low altitude mapping orbit at about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface. The center coordinates of this image are 24 degrees north latitude, 131 degrees east longitude.$

M-E-R-C (See you real soon!) U-R-Y (Why Because we like you!)

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spied a very subtle mare-highlands boundary in Mare Moscoviense on the lunar farside, near the center of the Constellation Program region of interest.

On Hole-y Ground

This image of Ceres is part of a sequence taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 22, 2015, from a distance of 3,200 miles (5,100 kilometers) with a resolution of 1,600 feet (480 meters) per pixel.

Caloris Basin as Seen by MESSENGER

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of a dark band on asteroid Vesta with its framing camera on August 19, 2011. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel.

Window to the Farside Mantle

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft showing the northern part of Hanami Planum on Ceres honors the Japanese cherry blossom festival, or Hanami, which is a long-standing Japanese tradition of welcoming spring. Hanami Planum is the third largest geological feature on Ceres, after Vendimia Planitia and the Samhain Catenae. It extends over 345 miles (555 kilometers). This image shows familiar features, such as Occator Crater, characterized both by bright material inside the crater and dark ejecta material outside. Several parallel linear features, called Junina Catenae, can be seen departing from Occator and extending toward the top of the image. These catenae are chains of small craters formed by the impact and scouring of material ejected when large craters are formed. Scientists were able to relate these crater chains to Urvara and Yalode. Even though these are located in the southern hemisphere, some of their ejecta could reach the northern hemisphere, thanks to Ceres' fast rotation

A Rupes and a Ray

Apollo 8,Farside of Moon. Image taken on Revolution 4. Camera Tilt Mode: Vertical Stereo. Sun Angle: 13. Original Film Magazine was labeled D. Camera Data: 70mm Hasselblad. Lens: 80mm; F-Stop: F/2.8; Shutter Speed: 1/250 second. Film Type: Kodak SO-3400 Black and White,ASA 40. Flight Date: December 21-27,1968.

That's A Stretch!

NASA's Dawn spacecraft spied Achita Crater on Ceres in this view captured on June 3, 2016, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) above the surface. Achita is named for a Nigerian god of agriculture and is 25 miles (40 kilometers) wide.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft is centered on the Sextilia crater in asteroid Vesta's southern hemisphere. Craters on Vesta are named after Vestal virgins, priestesses of the Roman goddess Vesta.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's sees bright crater rays and boulders.

This image shows Haulani Crater and its bright ejecta near the limb of Ceres and Oxo Crater near the center of the image. The latter is easily recognizable by its bright wall that is enriched in ice and carbonate. The image is facing south, with Haulani Crater located near Ceres' equator at 5.8 degrees north latitude and 10.8 degrees east longitude and Oxo Crater located at 42.2 degrees north latitude and 359.6 degrees east longitude. The images used in this montage were obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on September 1, 2018 from an altitude of about 2075 miles (3340 kilometers). NASA announced the conclusion of Dawn's mission operations was Oct. 31, 2018, when the spacecraft depleted its hydrazine. Haulani Crater is named after Hau-lani , the Hawaiian plant goddess. Oxo Crater is named after the God of agriculture in Afro-Brazilian beliefs of Yoruba derivation.

Callisto Scarp Mosaic

This view taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 17, 2016, features Liber Crater in Ceres' northern hemisphere, at right.

The rim of the crater blocks sunlight coming from the right, creating a moody scene on Ceres. NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this image on June 16, 2016.

AS08-12-2052 (21-27 Dec. 1968) --- This near-vertical photograph from the Apollo 8 spacecraft covers an area of approximately 50 x 50 statute miles within a 250-statute-miles-in-diameter crater on the lunar farside. The center of this large crater is located at about 157 degrees west longitude and 4 degrees south latitude. The large crater in the center of the picture is about 20 statute miles in diameter.

Meet Joe Green

This image, taken on Oct. 18, 2016 from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows Occator Crater on Ceres, with its signature bright areas. The central bright spot, which harbors the brightest material on Ceres, is believed by scientists to contain a variety of salts.

Boulders perched atop a wrinkle ridge in Mare Imbrium west of the Montes Teneriffe can be seen in this image taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

As NASA's Mariner 10 passed by Mercury on its second encounter with the planet on Sept. 21, 1974, this picture of a large circular (350 kilometer, 220 mile diameter) basin was obtained near the morning terminator.

Anatomy of a Torn Comet

This image of Eutropia AV-L-10, from the atlas of the giant asteroid Vesta, was created from images taken as NASA's Dawn mission flew around the object, also known as a protoplanet.

Eternal Darkness of Petronius Crater

Graben are common extensional features on the Moon as well as the other terrestrial planets and icy satellites. This graben formed within a larger graben as captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft features the distinctive crater Canuleia on the giant asteroid Vesta. Canuleia, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter, is distinguished by the rays of bright material that streak out from it.

The One-Two Punch

This image made with data from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows pit chains on dwarf planet Ceres called Samhain Catenae. Scientists created this image by draping the grayscale mosaic of Ceres' surface onto the shape model of the dwarf planet. The arrows in the image point to a few of the pit chains investigated in a 2017 study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Mercury's northern region is dominated by expansive smooth plains, created by huge amounts of volcanic material flooding across Mercury's surface in the past, as seen by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows impact ejecta deposits dominating asteroid Vesta's landscape. This impact ejecta material was ejected from an impact crater located outside the imaged area.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 14, 2015, shows an intriguing mountain on dwarf planet Ceres protruding from a relatively smooth area.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows a portion of the southern hemisphere of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers).

Catullus in 3-D

On March 18, 2011, NASA's MESSENGER made history by becoming the first spacecraft ever to orbit Mercury. Eleven days later, the spacecraft captured the first image ever obtained from Mercury orbit, shown here on the left.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows the surface of dwarf planet Ceres at mid-latitudes, from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). The image was taken on Sept. 21, 2015, and has a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows Sekhet Crater on Ceres has prominent shadows accentuating its central peak and mounds of material that have slumped downward from its walls.

Dust Devils Together

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft of asteroid Vesta shows Sossia crater, which is the crater partially surrounded by dark material. Sossia crater has a reasonably fresh rim and patches of dark material cropping out around part of this rim.

LROC PDS Release Number 5

The View from Low Orbit

Radar-bright Craters in Goethe

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft of asteroid Vesta shows Aquilia crater located in Pinaria quadrangle, in Vesta's southern hemisphere. The especially degraded bottom rim was probably formed by debris slumping into the crater.

This image, taken on June 6, 2015 by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers). A mountain can be seen on the left. The western edge of Haulani crater can be seen on the upper right at the limb.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 6, 2015, features a tall mountain on Ceres that is 4 miles (6 kilometers) high -- among the tallest features seen on Ceres to date.

A Constellation Program Region of Interest near the northeast edge of the unusually large melt pond adjacent to the lunar far side crater King.

Three Craters in One

Gusev Crater, here we come!

This photo of Ceres and one of its key landmarks, Ahuna Mons, was one of the last views Dawn transmitted before it depleted its remaining hydrazine and completed its mission. This view, which faces south, was captured on Sept. 1, 2018 at an altitude of 2,220 miles (3,570 kilometers) as the spacecraft was ascending in its elliptical orbit. At its lowest point, the orbit dipped down to only about 22 miles (35 kilometers), which allowed Dawn to acquire very high-resolution images in this final phase of its mission. Some of the close-up images of Ceres are shown here. Ahuna Mons is about 12 miles (20 kilometers) across and 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) high and displays sodium carbonate along its flanks. This is the most recent of a potential two dozen cryovolcanoes whose remnants are found across Ceres' surface.

This pair of THEMIS infrared images shows the so-called 'face on Mars' landform viewed during both the day and night.

This view taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 17, 2016 from Ceres' northern hemisphere shows parts of Datan Crater (at left) and Geshtin Crater (at right).

Tear-drop Volcano

This image, made using images taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows Occator crater on Ceres, home to a collection of intriguing bright spots.

After passing Mercury the first time and making a trip around the Sun, NASA's Mariner 10 again flew by Mercury on Sept. 21, 1974. The south pole is located on the right hand edge of Chao Meng Fu crater that has only its rim sticking up into the light.

Verlaine Shot Rimbaud

Interesting Structural Features on Eros

Close-up of Craters Hosting Radar-bright Deposits

A Buried Crater

Looking Toward Mercury's North Pole

In this image of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft, a younger, fresher crater lies to next to the older, larger crater named Messor. Messor, which is named for the Roman god of the harvesting and cutting of grain.

This Cerean crater, which is covered in ridges and steep slopes, called scarps, was captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Dec. 23, 2015. These features likely resulted when the crater partly collapsed during its formation.

Voil! Mercury's Atget

Hokusai Paints a Wave of Rays

Dione: Magnified View

Craters of the Ages

Craters and Layers

This image of asteroid Vesta from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows many curved ridges that are typical of Vesta's southern hemisphere. This image is located in Vesta's Sextilia quadrangle, in Vesta's southern hemisphere.

A Smorgasbord of Landforms

Extensive Smooth Plains on Mercury

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of an unusual hill on asteroid Vesta with its framing camera on August 18, 2011. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel.

Back in the Saddle Again

At the center of this NAC image is the crater Navoi, named in November 2008 for the Uzbek poet Alisher Navoi (1441-1501).

This image of Rheasilvia AV-L-30, from the atlas of the giant asteroid Vesta, was created from images taken as NASA's Dawn mission flew around the object, also known as a protoplanet.

Rupes, Rupes, Every Where

Exploring the Evolution of the Caloris Basin

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft of asteroid Vesta shows Serena crater, located in the Sextilia quadrangle, southern hemisphere. A mound of material is seen in the center of the crater and many small craters scattered over Serena crater.

Rhea - Icy Cratered Surface

A Face in the Dark...

This image of Ceres is part of a sequence taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on May 16, 2015, from a distance of 4,500 miles (7,200 kilometers).

Bright Crater Wall

This image taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the spectacularly preserved viscous flow on the NE rim of Byrgius A crater.

Interesting Features in Spirit's Uphill View

Big Boulders

(I Can't Get No) Saturation

Gale Crater, home to NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, shows a new face in this mosaic image made using data from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.

320 meter block of ejecta in Tycho crater covered by a veneer of impact melt.

These images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows two different resolution views of the ejecta blanket of Vesta's 'snowman craters.' The snowman-like pattern of these craters is clearly seen in the center of the left hand image.

Materials excavated during formation of this ~450 m diameter impact crater have an unusual two-toned character, likely a reflection of heterogeneity in the target materials. This crater occurs in Balmer Basin. This image was taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnai

This mosaic of oblique images from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft highlights the spectacular interior of Abedin crater. The crater floor is covered with once-molten rock melted by the impact event that formed Abedin.

Love's Secret Domain

This image was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on July 16, 2018 from an altitude of about 35 miles (56 kilometers). The center of this picture is located at about 36.5 degrees south latitude and 247.3 degrees east longitude.

Rockin' Rachmaninoff

It was a Dark and Stormy Night

Today's VIS image contains a relatively young crater and its ejecta. Layering in the ejecta is visible and relates to the shock waves from the impact. This unnamed crater is located in Arabia Terra.

Volcanoes in Lacus Mortis

Craters Young and Old

These apparent brightness and topography images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft are located in asteroid Vesta's Bellicia quadrangle, in Vesta's northern hemisphere.

Raphael's Colorful Palette

In this dramatic scene, an unnamed crater in Mercury's northern volcanic plains is bathed in darkness as the sun sits low on the horizon. Rising from the floor of the crater is its central peak, a small mountain resulting from the crater's formation. A central peak is a type of crater morphology that lies between "simple" and "peak ring" in the range of crater morphology on Mercury. This image was acquired as a high-resolution targeted observation. Targeted observations are images of a small area on Mercury's surface at resolutions much higher than the 200-meter/pixel morphology base map. It is not possible to cover all of Mercury's surface at this high resolution, but typically several areas of high scientific interest are imaged in this mode each week. The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the Solar System'

Earthrise by Lunar Orbiter

On the Bright Side

Say Aah!

These images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft are located in asteroid Vesta's Lucaria Tholus quadrangle, in Vesta's northern hemisphere.

Dark and Explosive

A Tale of Two Basins

Crossing Paths. At the left edge of this color view is a relatively fresh crater as seen by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft.

Firdousi's Smooth Plains & Crater Chains

AS08-12-2196 (21-27 Dec. 1968) --- An oblique view from the Apollo 8 spacecraft looking eastward across the lunar surface from about 115 degrees east longitude to the horizon near 180 degrees east longitude. The crater Tsiolkovsky in the center of the picture is 150 kilometers wide and is located at 129 degrees east longitude and 21 degrees south latitude. While in lunar orbit, Apollo 8 moved toward the camera position over the terrain along the left (north) side of this photograph.

The gold line on this image shows NASA's Opportunity's route from the landing site, in upper left, to the area it is investigating on the western rim of Endeavour Crater as of the rover's 10th anniversary on Mars, in Earth years.

The red dot marks the final landing location of NASA's InSight lander in this annotated image of the surface of Mars, taken by the THEMIS camera on NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter in 2015. A version with latitude and longitude is also available. The landing ellipse on this map covers an area within which the spacecraft had about a 99 percent chance of landing when targeted for the center of the ellipse. It is about 81 miles (130 kilometers) long, generally west to east, and about 17 miles (27 kilometers) wide. The base map is a mosaic of daytime thermal images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter. THEMIS was developed and is operated by Arizona State University, Tempe.

These images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft are located in asteroid Vesta's Urbinia quadrangle, in Vesta's southern hemisphere. Urbinia crater is the large, irregularly shaped crater, Sossia the middle-sized crater.

S71-44668 (31 July-2 Aug. 1971) --- An oblique view of the crater Humboldt, as photographed by the Fairchild metric camera in the Scientific Instrument Module (SIM) bay of the Apollo 15 Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit. This view is looking southerly. Humboldt, which is 200 kilometers (124 statute miles) in diameter, is located at 81 degrees east longitude and 27 degrees south latitude. The three-inch mapping camera was one of eight lunar orbital science experiments located in the SIM bay.

Luna 21 lander delivered the Lunokhod 2 rover to the floor of Le Monnier crater in January 1973. This image taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter also shows the rover's tracks.

An annotated mosaic from the Rosetta spacecraft shows 'Site J,' the primary landing site on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for the mission's Philae lander.

Twenty Something

This photo of Ceres and the bright regions in Occator Crater was one of the last views NASA's Dawn spacecraft transmitted before it depleted its remaining hydrazine and completed its mission. This view, which faces south, was captured on Sept. 1, 2018 at an altitude of 2,340 miles (3,370 kilometers) as the spacecraft was ascending in its elliptical orbit. At its lowest point, the orbit dipped down to only about 22 miles (35 kilometers), which allowed Dawn to acquire very high-resolution images in this final phase of its mission. Some of the close-up images of Occator Crater are shown here. Occator Crater is 57 miles (92 kilometers) across and 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) deep and holds the brightest area on Ceres, Cerealia Facula in its center and Vinalia Faculae in its western side. This region has been the subject of intense interest since Dawn's approach to the dwarf planet in early 2015.

Gazing Over a Cratered World

These images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft are located in asteroid Vesta's Numisia quadrangle, a few degrees below Vesta's equator.

Spirit's Traverse, Sols 1 to 1,386

NASA's Viking 1 landing site is shown in this commemorative image from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft to celebrate the July 20, 1969 and 1976 anniversaries of NASA's Apollo 11 and Viking 1 landings on the Moon and Mars, respectively.

Shiny and New

View of lunar farside showing crater Tsiolkovsky, as photographed by crew of Apollo 13 mission during their lunar pass, Johnson Space Center, NASA , April 14, 1970

A Spectacular Rayed Crater

These images are located in asteroid Vesta's Rheasilvia quadrangle, near Vesta's south pole. These images are centered on the large Tarpeia crater.

Vintage Photograph. Overall view of interior of a moon crater.

Photographie Lunaire Albategnius - Triesnecker - Manilius. Dated: 1903. Dimensions: image: 56.99 x 46.51 cm (22 7/16 x 18 5/16 in.) sheet: 73.66 x 59.69 cm (29 x 23 1/2 in.). Medium: photogravure. Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Author: Loewy et Puiseux.

Cuts Right Through

The Geodesy Campaign

Kasei Valles is one of the largest outflow channels on Mars. Kasei Valles stretches some 2,000 km across the face of Mars and empties into the Chryse basin. THEMIS.

Mars Surfaces at 15.6N Latitude, March 1999

On Mercury, NASA's MESSENGER shows the smooth floor of Titian is a brighter orange color than the surrounding area, likely due to being filled with volcanic material. Ejecta from Titian appears blue.

Clockwork Orange

The yellow line on this map shows where NASA's Mars Rover Opportunity has driven from the place where it landed in January 2004, inside Eagle crater, at the upper left end of the track, to a point approaching the rim of Endeavour crater.

This Image Is Cool!

Ganymede Galileo Regio High Resolution Mosaic Shown in Context

Map of Tethys

How Common are Mare Pit Craters

Sinuous Chain of Depressions

AS16-122-19580 (16-27 April 1972) --- This vertical view shows the King Crater on the lunar surface. It was exposed with color positive film in a hand-held 70mm camera onboard the Command and Service Modules during the Apollo 16 mission's 98th orbit of the moon. Center point coordinates are located at 5.4 degrees north latitude and 120.8 degrees east longitude.

Etched Terrain

They Call Me Muddy Waters

The anaglyph shows Pwyll crater on Jupiter's icy satellite Europa, captured by NASA's Galileo Orbiter. 3D glasses are necessary to identify surface detail.

These images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft are located in asteroid Vesta's Urbinia quadrangle, in Vesta's southern hemisphere; many small boulders are visible on the right side of Sossia crater.

This orthographic projection view from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft provides a look at Mercury's north polar region. The yellow regions in many of the craters mark locations that show evidence for water ice, as detected by Earth-based radar observations.

Mars Exploration Rover Landing Site at Gusev Crater

From Beyond

Mercury's Craters from a New Perspective

Southern end of Aitken crater central peak complex.

These images from NASA's Dawn spacecraft show an old, heavily cratered terrain around asteroid Vesta's equator.

From Orbit, Looking toward Mercury's Horizon

Bright Rays of Kuiper and Dark Material Near Hitomaro

This global digital map of Saturn's moon Dione was created using data taken by the Cassini spacecraft, with gaps in coverage filled in by NASA's Voyager spacecraft data

Taking the Measure of Impact Craters on Mercury

Apollo 16, Footsteps Under High Sun

Several areas of dunes are located on the plains of Terra Cimmeria. The dunes appear bright in the daytime infrared due the warmer temperatures than the surrounding plains.

Close-up detail view of the moon.

This pair of infrared images from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft shows the so-called 'face on Mars' landform viewed during both the day and night.

View of Callisto at Increasing Resolutions

2012 in MESSENGER Images

Polar Topography