时间:2025-04-26 13:08:44 来源:网络整理编辑:探索
Want to take a hike on Mercury?On Friday -- about one year after the Messenger spacecraft ended its
Want to take a hike on Mercury?
On Friday -- about one year after the Messenger spacecraft ended its mission by crashing into Mercury -- scientists released the first complete global elevation map produced by the long-lived spacecraft.
The new map, which looks somewhat like a map a hiker would use, shows the highest and lowest points on the planet, with its highest point coming in at 4.48 kilometers above the average elevation on the planet, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), said in a statement.
SEE ALSO:NASA Mercury mission comes to a 'dramatic end'The planet's lowest point is 5.38 km below the average in the Rachmaninoff basin.
In all, it took more than 100,000 images collected by Messenger to create the map, the APL said.
In total, however, Messenger beamed back about 300,000 images of Mercury in its time circling the planet closest to the sun.
“The wealth of these data ... has already enabled and will continue to enable exciting scientific discoveries about Mercury for decades to come,” Susan Ensor, a software engineer at the APL said in the statement.
Scientists also produced a map of a part of Mercury near the north pole as never seen before.
Messenger "had previously discovered that past volcanic activity buried this portion of the planet beneath extensive lavas, more than a mile deep in some areas and covering a vast area equivalent to approximately 60% of the continental United States,” said APL’s Nancy Chabo.
Messenger (which is of course an acronym short for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) launched toward Mercury in 2004 and began orbiting the planet in 2011.
Scientists using Messenger data already created the first full map of Mercury, which showed never-before-seen features on the small planet like volcanic vents around the Caloris basin, the world's magnetic field and a giant iron core.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Metallica to seek and destroy your eardrums with new album this fall2025-04-26 13:04
今天淩晨,世界見證了梅西C羅最後一次交手(梅西c羅合照)2025-04-26 12:39
【波盈足球】 足球C羅蜜月期結束?沙烏地球迷跳腳 :白花兩億歐元 ( 球迷,納斯 )2025-04-26 12:19
籃網對熱火第五場最後詹姆斯是否犯規 ?籃網是否該罰球?(詹姆斯攤手要犯規)2025-04-26 12:14
Felix the cat just raised £5000 for charity because she's the hero we all need2025-04-26 11:21
印度公開賽落幕,國羽退賽,日本躺贏兩冠,梁王組合為新年添喜2025-04-26 11:13
C 羅與梅西處於同一時代是遺憾還是幸運 ?(梅西c羅同框圖片)2025-04-26 11:07
大年初一 ,國羽小將在印度擊敗世錦賽冠軍奪金2025-04-26 11:00
Here's George Takei chilling in zero gravity for the 'Star Trek' anniversary2025-04-26 10:45
【波盈足球】 世足梅西首談奪冠感想 後悔罵對手「看什麽看笨蛋」 ( 梅西,阿根廷 )2025-04-26 10:38
Two astronauts just installed a new parking spot on the International Space Station2025-04-26 12:26
黑哨!詹皇1V5突破被塔圖姆打手,裁判不給罰球絕殺反手送貝弗利1T(詹姆斯總決賽技犯)2025-04-26 11:54
時尚速報 I 梅西和C羅同框出鏡LV最新廣告大片;Tom Ford身價超20億美元;LV成法國最具價值品牌;(梅西和c羅同框)2025-04-26 11:52
【波盈足球】 足球駁斥葬送C羅職業生涯 摩根 :我讓他簽下史上最大合約 ( 摩根,合約 )2025-04-26 11:41
This chart shows just how high Simone Biles can jump2025-04-26 11:05
2023/01/14(英超)布萊頓vs利物浦2025-04-26 11:01
勇士3連敗!科爾主動攬責 ,湯普森坦誠輕敵 ,庫裏傷勢無礙(庫裏複出24分勇士3連敗了嗎)2025-04-26 10:49
【賽事前瞻】英超第7輪補賽,曼市雙雄各有想法2025-04-26 10:42
Metallica to seek and destroy your eardrums with new album this fall2025-04-26 10:41
原創 國羽混雙錯失會師決賽,雅思12025-04-26 10:22