Lunar and Planetary Terrain

Images of lunar and planetary surfaces captured by NASA, showing features like grabens, scarps, and cratered terrains on the Moon and Mercury.

Long Scarps on Mercury Tell of the Planet's Unique History

These graben - a kind of trench that is formed as a surface expands - were imaged near a region of the Moon called Mare Frigoris by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

The Law of Boëthius

This image of lobate scarps - a kind of curved hill - was taken near a region of the Moon called Mare Frigoris by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

Long Scarps on Mercury Tell of the Planet's Unique History

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows cratered terrain on the edge of the giant crater Yalode. This image was taken on June 1, 2016.

Sintana Crater is seen on the left side of this image of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacercraft. The crater's central peak casts a shadow over its western flank. At lower right, the rim of Darzamat peeks into view.

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.

This ancient crater on Ceres displays a flattened floor and a low, rounded central peak. NASA's Dawn spacecraft captured the scene on Jan. 2, 2016.

This NAC image from MESSENGERs second Mercury flyby shows a crater with a set of light-colored rays radiating outward from it. Such rays are formed when an impact excavates material from below the surface and throws it outward from the crater.

The northeast rim of Eratosthenes crater.

Terrace View

Ernutet Crater is featured in this image from Ceres, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. Ernutet was named for the Egyptian cobra-headed goddess of the harvest. The crater measures about 32 miles (52 kilometers) in diameter and is located in the northern hem

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows terrain in the southern hemisphere of Ceres. Most of the image is the impact crater named Annona (37 miles, 60 kilometers across); the smaller, prominent crater at upper left is unnamed.

Gruithuisen Domes - Constellation Region of Interest

The Hills of Caloris

Crater rim of Flamsteed P

Kerwan Crater, at 174 miles (280 kilometers) in diameter is the largest crater that NASA's Dawn has discovered on Ceres. A portion of its jagged rim runs from the top left to bottom center of this image.

Filling the Void

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 24, 2015.

A wrinkle ridge in Oceanus Procellarum forks into two segments.

Inside Catena Mendeleev

Channel Vision

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's view of boulders on an outlying rampart of the complex central peak of Tsiolkovskiy crater.

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft taken on Oct. 18, 2015, from an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers), shows Toharu crater (55 miles or 88 kilometers wide) at lower right.

Texture on inside wall of a crater in the Catena Mendeleev.

Relatively young craters, with sharp crater rims and streaks of bright material, are the focus of this view of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft, taken on Oct. 17, 2016.

Smile for the Camera

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows cratered terrain typical of Ceres, with a small bright crater highlighting the scene at lower right. The view is centered at approximately 37 degrees north latitude, 349 degrees east longitude. Dawn acquired this image on Feb. 9, 2016, from its low-altitude mapping orbit, at a distance of about 240 miles (385 kilometers) from the surface. The image resolution is 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel. http //photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20556

NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft was coaxed into a third and final encounter with Mercury in March of 1975. This is one of the highest resolution images of Mercury acquired by the spacecraft. The prominent scarp snaking up the image was named Discovery Rupes.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this image of Hakumyi Crater on Ceres, visible left of center. The crater is named after a Paraguayan, Brazilian and Bolivian spirit said to be helpful in gardening. Hakumyi, 18 miles (29 kilometers) in diameter, is located about 43 miles (70 kilometers) west of Ernutet Crater. Ernutet is where scientists found evidence of organic material, thanks to Dawn's visible and infrared mapping spectrometer. Evidence for organics was also found at the 4-mile (6.5 kilometer) wide fresh crater on the southern rim of Hakumyi and on the lobe-shaped flow of material that runs into Hakumyi. These two features look relatively young in comparison to the rest of Hakumyi Crater, whose rims and overall shape are subdued. The lobate flow is reminiscent of the Type I flows identified in multiple places at high latitudes on Ceres, and suggests a significant amount of ice near the surface. Dawn took this image on August 20, 2015, from 915 miles (1,470 kilometers) altitude. The cent

Ejecta from Van de Graaff Crater

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft show a slightly curved chain of small craters in the bottom half of the image. This chain is located on the floor of asteroid Vesta's large south-polar impact structure, Rheasilvia.

A Portrait of Copley Crater

Forked Wrinkle Ridge

Impact craters and basins on Mercury are named for deceased artists, musicians, painters, and authors who have made outstanding contributions to their fields in this image taken by NASA's MESSENGER.

Sculpted Rim and Floor

Edge of Darkness

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft, taken on June 12, 2016, shows terrain on Ceres covered by ejecta from a nearby impact, which has smoothed the appearance of older features.

The large crater extending out the left side of this image is Praxiteles. Named for the ancient Greek sculptor of the 4th century BC, Praxiteles crater was first observed by Mariner 10.

Delicate Patterns in Giordano Bruno Ejecta

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 September 15, 2015, and has a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel.

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, with a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel, was taken on August 21, 2015.

This detail of NASA's Dawn spacecraft's framing camera image shows low sun angles and large shadows on asteroid Vesta.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft of Ceres shows a portion of a large crater with prominent spurs of compacted material and gullies along its rim.

This image, taken on June 17, 2015 by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) with a resolution of 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel. A bright area called 'Spot 1' can be seen in this image.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft features a relatively fresh crater on Ceres with prominent spurs of compacted material and gullies along its rim. Boulders of a variety of sizes litter the crater's floor and the area around its rim.

Rays of Light Material

Towards the bottom of image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft ,slightly offset from the image center, is a small, young, fresh crater within a rectangular, older, heavily eroded crater.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows the western rim of Azacca Crater on Ceres. A smaller impact feature sits on its flank. Of particular interest in this scene is the great number of small, bright spots, in the southern part of the image.

Volcanic Plains on Mercury

Depressing Peaks

Wrinkle Ridge in Oceanus Procellarum

This image of Licinia AV-L-08, 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.

Complex Craters

Meridiani Crater in Day and Night

Melting Point

Dürer Gets Its Close-up

This picture captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows a crater that lies just north of Occator Crater, home of the brightest spots on Ceres. The northern rim of Occator, not visible here, is overprinted on the southern rim this crater.

An Unnamed Wonder

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image of asteroid Vesta's south polar scarp with its framing camera on August 12, 2011. The image was taken through the framing camera's clear filter. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel.

The 16-mile-wide (26-kilometer-wide) crater Insitor is located almost exactly in the center of Kerwan crater on Ceres. Scientists can compute the chances that a cosmic dart would hit exactly at the bullseye of the largest crater on Ceres by using models of impact frequency as a function of time, combined with the period of time since Kerwan's formation. By counting the number of craters within Kerwan and comparing that number to the distribution of craters on Earth's moon and other bodies, it is possible to derive an approximate time for Kerwan's formation of between 550 and 750 million years ago. The chance that a crater the size of Insitor would be formed at the center of Kerwan over that period is only one in one hundred. This image of Ceres was obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on September 23, 2015, from an altitude of about 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). Insitor crater is located at 10.7 degrees south latitude, 124.9 degrees east longitude. The crater gets its name from the Roman

This image of Rubria AV-L-16, 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.

Part of the southern hemisphere on dwarf planet Ceres is seen in this image taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. Hamori crater, named after a Japanese god and protector of tree leaves, is the large crater near the center of the image.

The Crater and the Scarp

Scarred Scarp

Just 21 minutes after NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft's closest approach to Mercury, the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) took this picture showing a variety of intriguing surface features, including craters as small as about 400 meters (about 400 yards) across.

This image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows a fresh impact crater with an asymmetric rim. The crater displays a sharp rim over much of its perimeter that is interrupted by a smooth area in the north.

Southwest of the Big Crater (Mosaic)

This Erosion

Dueling Poets of the East

Marius Hills Constellation Region of Interest

This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows an area in mid-southern latitudes on Ceres. The crater named Juling (12 miles, 20 kilometers wide) is seen at lower right. Bright material is visible along its upper walls.

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows a densely cratered region within Meanderi Crater on Ceres. Elongated craters in the wall of the largest impact feature are likely the result of material slumping down the crater walls.

Ejecta scours deep grooves into the walls and rim of an unnamed crater, located northwest of Henry Frères crater.

Ninsar Crater, in the northern hemisphere of Ceres, is seen this view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft. Ninsar was named for a Sumerian goddess of plants and vegetation.

The center of Ezinu Crater on Ceres is seen in this view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft. The crater features a network of canyon-like features. Ezinu measures about 72 miles (116 kilometers) in diameter and was named for the Sumerian goddess of grain.

This view of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows cratered terrain located immediately to the west of the intriguing mountain feature called Ahuna Mons.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of the floor of a l.2-km diameter crater in the Mare Frigoris.

This image, from NASA's Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows that several west-facing lobate scarps occur in the hummocky plains interpreted as Caloris ejecta.

NASA's Mariner 10 took this picture some 2 1/2 hours before it passed Mercury on March 29, 1974. The bright-floored crater is the center of a very large bright area which could be seen in pictures from more than two million miles distant

The Moon's Largest Impact Basin

Mercury, as Seen in High Resolution

Ride Along with MESSENGER: Movie 2

This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on June 25, 2015, shows a portion of the northern hemisphere of dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers).

Wrinkles in the Cloth of Time

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on August 6, 2011. Old and heavily cratered terrain is shown on Vesta. The framing camera has a resolution about 280 yards (260 meters) per pixel.

Double Trouble

The north pole of Ceres can be seen in this image taken on June 9, 2015 by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) with a resolution of 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel.

Lonely, Hollow

Mosaic of Eros' Northern Hemisphere

$The fractured floor of Dantu Crater on Ceres is seen in this image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft taken on Dec. 21, 2015. Similar fractures are seen in Tycho, one of the youngest large craters on Earth's moon.$

NASA's Dawn spacecraft captured this close-up view of the central peak of the 99-mile-wide (160-kilometer-wide) Urvara impact crater on Ceres. The 6,500-foot (1980-meter) central ridge rises above the nearby terrain. The image was captured by Dawn's Framing Camera, during XM2, on June 21, 2018 from an altitude of about 83 miles (134 kilometers). NASA announced the conclusion of Dawn's mission operations was Oct. 31, 2018, when the spacecraft depleted its hydrazine.

This image, one of the first obtained by NASA's Dawn spacecraft in its low altitude mapping orbit, shows an area within the Rheasilvia basin in the south polar area of the giant asteroid Vesta.

Regolith

Well Donne

Craters Down Under

The small, bright crater Oxo on Ceres is featured in this image from NASA's Dawn spacecraft taken on Oct. 17, 2016. Oxo (6 miles, 10 kilometers in diameter) is located at mid-latitudes on Ceres and likely has water ice.

As NASA's Mariner 10 approached Mercury at nearly seven miles per second on March 29, 1974, its TV camera took this picture from an altitude of 35,000 kilometers (21,700 miles) The picture shows a heavily-cratered surface with many low hills

Revisiting Boccaccio

It's Craters All the Way Down

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