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DAWN - Bild des Tages - Oktober 2011

31.10.2011 - Anaglyph image of impact crater and mountain/ central complex in Vesta’s south polar region

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30.10.2011 - Topography of the “snowman craters” and surrounding area

These Dawn FC (framing camera) images show the area surrounding the “snowman craters” in Vesta’s northern hemisphere. The “snowman craters” and their ejecta blanket are in the left of the images and there are large troughs (linear depressions) running obliquely across the top of both images. The left image is an albedo image, which is taken directly through the clear filter of the FC. Such an image shows the albedo (eg. brightness/ darkness) of the surface. The right image uses the same albedo image as its base but then a color-coded height representation of the topography is overlain onto it. The various colors correspond to the height of the area that they color. For example, the white in the bottom of the right image is the highest area and the blue areas in the top of the right image are the lowest. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, these are called stereo images.

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29.10.2011 - Craters and ejecta in visible and infrared wavelengths

Above are three different composite images of the same region of Vesta’s surface. These images were produced by combining images obtained by the Visual and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (VIR) instrument aboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft. The VIR instrument can image Vesta in many different wavelength regions, called bands, in the near ultraviolet, visible and infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, which corresponds to a wavelength range of 300nm to 5000nm. The top image is a RGB composite simulated true color image where red is set as the 700nm band, green is set as the 550nm band and blue is set as the 440nm band. The wavelength of red light is around 700nm, of green light is around 550nm and of blue light is around 440nm, so this image approximates what the human eye would see looking at Vesta. The middle image is taken in the infrared part of the spectrum and shows the thermal emission of Vesta’s surface; the light colors correspond to the hottest temperatures and the dark colors correspond to the coldest temperatures. The bottom image is another RGB composite image in which bands from the visible and infrared were combined to enhance the differences in the composition of Vesta’s surface. In the case of this bottom image different colors correspond to characteristics of the composition of the surface. Different compositions can help to identify regions which have undergone different geological processes. For example, in the bottom image the green ejecta blanket of the crater on the right is very distinctive against the blue and red surface of the rest of Vesta. This ejecta blanket is much harder to identify in the other images.

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28.10.2011 - Vesta’s south polar region in simulated true color

This composite image is a simulated true color image of part of Vesta’s south polar region. It was produced by combining images obtained by the Visual and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (VIR) instrument aboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft. The VIR instrument can image Vesta in many different wavelength regions, called bands, in the near ultraviolet, visible and infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, which corresponds to a wavelength range of 300nm to 5000nm. This is an RGB composite image where red is set as the 700nm band, green is set as the 550nm band and blue is set as the 440nm band. The wavelength of red light is around 700nm, of green light is around 550nm and of blue light is around 440nm, so this image approximates what the human eye would see looking at Vesta. It is an approximation because the human eye can see many more wavelengths than the three used here. There is a lot of spectral diversity (eg. color diversity) in this region of Vesta’s surface. There is a concentration of purple-brown in and around a crater in the top right of the image. Surrounding this crater is a distinctly blue area. The rest of the surface visible in this image ranges from a brown to yellow-white color.

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27.10.2011 - “Snowman craters” in simulated true color

This composite image is a simulated true color image of part of Vesta’s northern region, which contains the “snowman craters”. It was produced by combining images obtained by the Visual and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (VIR) instrument aboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft. The VIR instrument can image Vesta in many different wavelength regions, called bands, in the near ultraviolet, visible and infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, which corresponds to a wavelength range of 300nm to 5000nm. This is an RGB composite image where red is set as the 700nm band, green is set as the 550nm band and blue is set as the 440nm band. The wavelength of red light is around 700nm, of green light is around 550nm and of blue light is around 440nm, so this image approximates what the human eye would see looking at Vesta. It is an approximation because the human eye can see many more wavelengths than the three used here. The “snowman craters” are centered in this image and show different spectral (eg. color) characteristics: the left hand crater is much redder and the right hand crater is much bluer. Such color differences greatly help the process of understanding Vesta’s geological history.

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26.10.2011 - Vesta’s northern and equatorial regions in simulated true color

This composite image is a simulated true color image of Vesta’s northern and equatorial regions. It was produced by combining images obtained by the Visual and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (VIR) instrument aboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft. The VIR instrument can image Vesta in many different wavelength regions, called bands, in the near ultraviolet, visible and infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, which corresponds to a wavelength range of 300nm to 5000nm. This is an RGB composite image where red is set as the 700nm band, green is set as the 550nm band and blue is set as the 440nm band. The wavelength of red light is around 700nm, of green light is around 550nm and of blue light is around 440nm, so this image approximates what the human eye would see looking at Vesta. It is an approximation because the human eye can see many more wavelengths than the three used here. This image shows the diverse colors of Vesta’s surface: the left and middle parts of the image are dominated by reddish hues and the right part of the image is more blue in color.

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25.10.2011 - Color composite images of Vesta

These Dawn FC (framing camera) composite images show the spectacular spectral diversity of Vesta’s surface. The FC has 7 color filters which allow it to image Vesta in a number of different wavelengths of light. Being able to image in many wavelengths enhances features and colors that would otherwise be indistinguishable to the human eye. The left image shows a RGB color composite image of Vesta. RGB stands for red, green and blue and in this case red is the 750nm filter, green is the 920nm filter and blue is the 980nm filter.

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24.10.2011 - Rilles/ scars on Vesta’s surface

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows small scars (known as rilles) on Vesta’s surface, which are mostly concentrated in the right half of the image. They are presumably due to impacts throwing out boulders, which then crash across the surface scouring the rilles as they go. Such boulders are visible as tiny black dots, due to their shadows, in the top right of the image. They are just underneath a bright patch, which is the edge of an impact crater. This impact crater could be where these boulders originated. In the top left of the image short rilles cut across partially infilled impact craters.

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23.10.2011 - Unusual craters on Vesta IV

This Dawn FC (framing camera) mosaic shows craters with both sharp and smooth rims, a ‘ghost’ crater and dark and bright material in Vesta’s southern hemisphere. The craters with both sharp and smooth rims, shown in yesterday’s Image of the Day (# 76), are in the far left of this mosaic. The ‘ghost’ crater is located in the bottom left corner of the second square in the mosaic. It is visible as a shallow, roughly circular depression which is infilled with material of different albedos (eg. brightness). This infilling material is probably Vesta’s regolith, which is a layer of loose material/ debris. This ghost crater must be reasonably old to be so comprehensively filled with regolith. It has also been cratered by many small impacts. There is quite a lot of dark and bright material distributed throughout this mosaic, some of which is associated with the craters and some of which does not appear to be associated with craters visible at this resolution.

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22.10.2011 - Unusual craters on Vesta III

These Dawn FC (framing camera) images show craters with both sharp and smooth crater rims in Vesta’s southern hemisphere. The left image has a much wider field of view than the right image and displays the craters with both sharp and smooth rims in the bottom right of the image. Most of the other craters in this image either have sharp or smooth rims. The detailed structure of the sharp and smooth rimmed craters is seen in the right image, which has a smaller field of view and a higher resolution than the left image. Landsliding seems to be occurring on the smooth rims, which results in them losing a definite sharp rim. Dark and bright material is also seen slumping into the craters from their rims.

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21.10.2011 - Unusual craters on Vesta II

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows craters with both sharp and smooth rims. The most obvious is the large crater in the bottom left of the image. The left side of this crater has a very distinct, sharp rim while the right side has a much more degraded, rounded and less clear rim. A pile of material is generally located at the bottom of the craters’ degraded sides. This suggests that landslides have taken place on these sides of the craters. Some material is seen slumping towards the center of the craters from the fresh sides but the volume is significantly less than on the degraded sides. Craters such as these are observed reasonably frequently on Vesta. There is also a scattering of both bright and dark material in small patches across this image. A small crater on the left side of the image has a particularly noticeable surrounding of bright material.

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20.10.2011 - Unusual craters on Vesta I

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image 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. Some craters, particularly in the lower left of the image, show both sharp and smooth crater rims. This is rather unusual and better resolution images will be necessary to understand the process(es) responsible. Craters that have impacted pre-existing craters are also clear in this image. For example, the crater in roughly the center of the image has at least two other, smaller craters along its rim. Vesta’s surface becomes more heavily cratered moving from the southern to northern hemispheres, as can be seen in the larger population of craters in the top right of the image.

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19.10.2011 - Ejecta blanket

These Dawn FC (framing camera) images show 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. However, the ejecta blanket surrounding these craters is much less obvious in the lower resolution, left hand image. The ejecta blanket is much clearer in the higher resolution right hand image: it is visible as an area of Vesta’s surface which is significantly smoother than the neighboring regions. The ejecta blanket thins towards the top left of this image and consequently Vesta’s surface begins to appear rougher. Some older impacts are seen through the ejecta blanket and the clusters of small, fresh craters on the ejecta blanket are likely secondary impacts. These secondary craters probably formed due to large debris being thrown out of the “snowmen craters” during their formation. The smaller debris which were thrown out formed the ejecta blanket.

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18.10.2011 - Equatorial troughs and dark material III

These Dawn FC (framing camera) images show a region around the equatorial troughs with two different resolutions. The image on the left has a lower resolution of 260 meters per pixel and the image on the right has a higher resolution of 66 meters per pixel. Many areas of dark material are visible in the lower resolution image, including the dark hill (in box). The higher resolution image displays more detail of this hill, such as its irregular contact with the rest of Vesta’s surface. Many more details are also visible in the right hand image when compared to the left hand image, such as small linear grooves running roughly parallel to the troughs and slumping/ landslide features in the bottom right hand corner crater.

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17.10.2011 - Equatorial Troughs and dark material II

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image is a close up, nearly 4 times higher resolution view of Vesta’s equatorial troughs and dark material than yesterday’s Image of the Day. Smaller scale features become visible in this image, for example the grabens (linear depressions) which run parallel to and inside the troughs. These troughs run obliquely across the top of the image. Also visible are craters which are only a few pixels across. This corresponds to a diameter of roughly 100-200km. The shape and structure of the dark hill (offset from center of image) can also be more precisely defined in this image. The dark material surrounding this hill is roughly lobate in shape and the boundary between this material and Vesta’s surface is rather irregular.   NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on September 20, 2011. This image was taken through the camera’s clear filter. The distance to the surface of Vesta is 673 km and the image resolution is about 66 meters per pixel.

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16.10.2011 - Equatorial Troughs and dark material I

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows the equatorial troughs of Vesta running obliquely across the image. These troughs occur around most of Vesta’s equatorial region and are one of its most striking features. They both overlie and are overlain by impact craters. A large linear structure seems to cut across these troughs in the bottom left side of the image. Also distinctive is the dark material which is associated with the troughs, impact craters (right side of image) and the dark hill (center of image). This dark hill remains dark from many different viewing angles in a selection of images, so its dark appearance is not just due to shadowing effects. Many possible formation mechanisms for this dark hill are currently under investigation. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on August 20, 2011. This image was taken through the camera’s clear filter. The distance to the surface of Vesta is 2740km and the image resolution is about 260 meters per pixel.

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15.10.2011 - Fresh dark ray crater

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows a fresh dark rayed crater in the center of the image. This crater is 1.7 km in diameter. Commonly rays from impact craters are brighter than the surrounding surface so further study on this, and other, dark rayed craters will be important. This crater was emplaced onto the ejecta blanket of two large twin craters. The bright, uneven rim of one of the twin craters is seen to the right of the dark rayed crater. This ejecta blanket covers most of the Vestan surface visible in this image and is identified by its smooth texture compared to the rest of Vesta. Some craters which are older than the ejecta blanket can be partially seen below it as shallow, roughly circular depressions. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on October 2, 2011. This image was taken through the camera’s clear filter. The distance to the surface of Vesta is 659km and the image resolution is about 66 meters per pixel.

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14.10.2011 - Dark areas in cratered terrain on Vesta

In this Dawn FC (framing camera) image, a number of small dark areas, mostly clustered in the center and left of the image, are visible in Vesta’s cratered landscape. A lot of these dark patches are small impact craters, which may have excavated dark material from a shallow subsurface layer of Vesta. One of these small craters, in the left middle of the image, features dark rays. This is unusual as rays from impact craters are generally of higher albedo (eg. brighter) than the surrounding surface. This landscape is dominated by two large bowl-shaped fresh scarp rimmed craters, which are approximately 10–20 km in diameter. Bright material is seen slumping into these craters, generally from their rims. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on October 2nd 2011. This image was taken through the camera’s clear filter. The distance to the surface of Vesta is 702km and the image resolution is about 66 meters per pixel.

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13.10.2011 - Ejecta blanket on Vesta

This detail of a Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows an ejecta blanket mantling (eg. covering) the surface and obscuring older caters. The bright crater rim, which can be seen in the middle right edge of this image, is one of a group of craters which are the source of this ejecta blanket. Ejecta blankets are identified as generally smooth areas that consist of debris ejected as craters are formed by impacts. Towards the left side of this image the ejecta blanket begins to die out and older craters, which are not as obscured by the ejecta blanket, become visible. Ejecta blankets can be rather challenging to detect in lower resolution images, so this higher resolution image, as well as those currently being obtained from Dawn’s High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO), will be very helpful in recognizing ejecta blankets. The cluster of small craters, in roughly the center of the image, is due to secondary impacts which are formed by large blocks ejected during the main ejecta forming impact.

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12.10.2011 - Boulders on Vesta

This detail of a Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows a fresh scarp rimmed crater with many boulders on the crater floor. These boulders have diameters of 100-200m, which is roughly the size of many asteroids! Also evident in this image are linear mass movement features, which originate from the rim of the crater (bottom of image) and are due to material slumping towards the center of the crater. There are also many smaller, and presumably younger, impact craters on the walls of this crater.

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11.10.2011 - Anaglyph image of the mountain/ central complex in Vesta’s south polar region

This anaglyph image shows the topography of the mountain/ central complex in Vesta’s south polar region. When viewed correctly this image shows a 3D view of Vesta’s surface. This effect was achieved by superimposing two differently colored images with an offset to create depth. To view this image in 3D use red-green, or red-blue, glasses (left eye: red; right eye: green/ blue). The depth effect/ topography differences in this image were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. The south polar mountain/ central complex is slightly offset from the center of the image. The broad morphology of the mountain/ central complex is clear: it is a roughly circular topographic mound, which is approximately 200km in diameter and has approximately 20km of relief from its base. There is a large scarp on the mountain/ central complex, which is well lit in this image. Also shown is the hummocky (eg. wavy/ undulating) texture of the south polar depression, which surrounds the mountain/ central complex.

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10.10.2011 - Anaglyph image of a large scarp in Vesta’s south polar region

This anaglyph image shows the topography of Vesta’s south polar region. When viewed correctly this image shows a 3D view of Vesta’s surface. This effect was achieved by superimposing two differently colored images with an offset to create depth. To view this image in 3D use red-green, or red-blue, glasses (left eye: red; right eye: green/ blue). The depth effect/ topography differences in this image were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. The dominant feature in this image is the large scarp on the left hand side. This is a piece of the scarp that partially surrounds the south polar depression on Vesta. There are dark marks, which initially look like dark material, cropping out of this scarp in the bottom of the image. But in images with different illuminations it becomes clear that these dark marks are actually shadows from spur features in the scarp. The material at the base of the scarp (right side) is probably due to landsliding. The edge of the south polar mountain/ central complex can be seen in the right side of the image. The framing camera (FC) instrument aboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained the images used to make this anaglyph on 17th and 20th August 2011. The distance from Dawn to the surface of Vesta was 2740km at this time. The image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel.

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09.10.2011 - Fresh crater with dark and bright material

This detail of a Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows a fresh scarp rimmed crater with a remarkable distribution of bright and dark material in its interior. Most of this bright and dark material originates from the crater rim but some originates much farther down the inwardly dipping crater walls. Especially curious is the left hand side of the crater where a layer of dark material crops out about half way down the crater wall, below the bright material which crops out from the crater rim. It is possible that under the surface of Vesta there are layers of bright and dark material, which become exposed due to the excavation of impact craters. The high resolution of this image also allows the pitted floor of this crater to become visible. Radial streaks of ejecta surround the crater and are superimposed on the older, densely cratered landscape. This landscape is identified as being older than the scarp rimmed crater because the craters it contains are older with less fresh, more eroded rims. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on October 2nd 2011. These images were taken through the camera’s clear filter. The distance to the surface is 670km and the image resolution is about 63 meters per pixel.

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08.10.2011 - Ray craters in Vesta’s south polar region

This detail of a Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows many fresh craters, several with bright ejecta rays, which were formed by impacts into the floor of Vesta’s south polar basin. The three most distinctive rayed craters are in the top and middle of the image and each has a clear raised crater rim. Ejecta rays form when material is thrown out of a crater during an impact. These ejecta rays most commonly have a higher albedo (are brighter) than the surrounding surface, as is the case here. Sometimes larger masses of ejecta form small secondary craters near these ejecta rays. Even though this image resolves numerous small craters, only a few hundred meters across, higher resolution imagery is necessary to identify secondary craters in this case. The rayed craters also contain enigmatic low albedo dark material, which is seen across Vesta. The distinctive hummocky (eg. wavy/ undulating) terrane of Vesta’s south polar region is evident throughout this image as well. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on September 9th 2011. This image was taken through the camera’s clear filter. The distance to the surface is 1390km and the image resolution is about 130 meters per pixel.

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07.10.2011 - Anaglyph image of the mountain/ central complex in the south polar region

This anaglyph image shows the topography of the mountain/ central complex in Vesta’s south polar region. When viewed correctly this image shows a 3D view of Vesta’s surface. This effect was achieved by superimposing two differently colored images with an offset to create depth. To view this image in 3D use red-green, or red-blue, glasses (left eye: red; right eye: green/ blue). The depth effect/ topography differences in this image were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. This image is centered on the south polar mountain/ central complex, which is a roughly circular topographic mound that is approximately 200km in diameter and has approximately 20km of relief from its base. Surrounding the mountain/ central complex is the south polar depression; the relationship between these structures, two of the most prominent Vestan features, is key to understanding the evolution of Vesta as a whole. Also well defined in this image is a large scarp roughly in the center of mountain/ central complex. The framing camera (FC) instrument aboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained the images used to make this anaglyph on 17th and 20th August 2011. The distance from Dawn to the surface of Vesta was 2740km at this time. This image has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel.

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06.10.2011 - Anaglyph image of Vesta’s southwestern latitudes

This anaglyph image shows the topography of Vesta’s southwestern region. When viewed correctly this image shows a 3D view of Vesta’s surface. This effect was achieved by superimposing two differently colored images with an offset to create depth. To view this image in 3D use red-green, or red-blue, glasses (left eye: red; right eye: green/ blue). The depth effect/ topography differences in this image were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. The large, heavily degraded subdued rimmed crater in the top right becomes clearer in this anaglyph image. The hummocky (eg. wavy/ undulating) textured terrain of Vesta’s southern region is also clear throughout most of this image. Many hypotheses about the formation mechanism of this distinctive terrane are currently under investigation. This image has a resolution of about 300 meters per pixel.

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05.10.2011 - Anaglyph image of Vesta’s equatorial region (II)

This anaglyph image shows the topography of part of Vesta’s equatorial region. When viewed correctly this image shows a 3D view of Vesta’s surface. This effect was achieved by superimposing two differently colored images with an offset to create depth. To view this image in 3D use red-green, or red-blue, glasses (left eye: red; right eye: green/ blue). The depth effect/ topography differences in this image were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. The irregular Vestan topography dominates this image: this uneven topography is mostly due to large, ancient, rather degraded ruin eroded craters. Three of these large ruin eroded craters can be reasonably clearly seen in the top right of the image. The bottom left of the image contains a sharp topography feature trending roughly NE-SW. This feature seems to cut across the equatorial troughs, which dominate the bottom half of the image. This image has a resolution of about 300 meters per pixel.

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04.10.2011 - Anaglyph image of Vesta’s equatorial region (I)

This anaglyph image shows the topography of part of Vesta’s equatorial region. When viewed correctly this image shows a 3D view of Vesta’s surface. This effect was achieved by superimposing two differently colored images with an offset to create depth. To view this image in 3D use red-green, or red-blue, glasses (left eye: red; right eye: green/ blue). The depth effect/ topography differences in this image were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. Vesta’s prominent equatorial troughs are clearly seen running horizontally across this image. The origin of these troughs and the possibility that they are related to the formation of the south polar basin are currently under investigation. Also seen in this 3D image are the remnants of old, large impact craters/ basins. These craters are classed as ruin eroded craters and are most clear in the center of the image, above the troughs. The image has a resolution of about 300 meters per pixel.

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03.10.2011 - Anaglyph image of Vesta’s southeastern latitudes

This anaglyph image shows the topography of Vesta’s southeastern region. When viewed correctly this image shows a 3D view of Vesta’s surface. This effect was achieved by superimposing two differently colored images with an offset to create depth. To view this image in 3D use red-green, or red-blue, glasses (left eye: red; right eye: green/ blue). The depth effect/ topography differences in this image were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. Anaglyph images, such as this, are very useful for mapping Vesta’s surface as they (literally!) allow another dimension to be added to the analysis. Geological mappers are used to seeing the topography of the region which they are mapping in real-life, so these anaglyph images help to provide the 3D view that is otherwise lacking in images from spacecraft. This image has a resolution of about 300 meters per pixel.

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02.10.2011 - Two different resolution images of Vesta’s south polar region

These details of Dawn FC (framing camera) images have different resolutions and show hummocky (eg. wavy/ undulating) terrain, grooves and small impacts in Vesta’s south polar region. The image on the left has a resolution of about 260 meters per pixel and the image on the right has a resolution of about 70 meters per pixel. The left hand image shows scarps (mostly near the bottom of the image) surrounding the depression and raised mound in the south polar region. The right hand image is a close up, higher resolution view of a large part of the raised mound. This mound appears to be made of slightly darker material, which seems to overlie the slightly brighter material of the depression surrounding it. The higher resolution image (70 meters per pixel) shows clear linear structures and grooves on this mound, which run approximately vertically across the image. Many more small craters are also clear in the 70 meters per pixel image than in the 260 meters per pixel image. The increased detail visible in the 70 meters per pixel image highlights the importance of high resolution images in planetary exploration.

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01.10.2011 - Small scale features at Vesta’s south pole

This detail of a Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows small scale features around Vesta’s south polar region. This image is from the High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO), which contains the highest resolution images of Vesta taken to date (about 70m per pixel). The raised mound dominates this image, which is visible as the darker material in the centre and right of this image. This raised mound material overlies the brighter material that makes up the floor of the south polar depression (see in the left of the image). Many small scale craters are clear in this image which were not visible in earlier, less high resolution images. Also clear is the hummocky (eg. wavy/ undulating) texture of the terrain of the south polar region. The formation mechanism of this hummocky textured terrain is currently being debated.