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DAWN - Bild des Tages - Januar 2012

31.01.2012 - Cratered terrain in Vesta’s equatorial region

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows heavily crater terrain in Vesta’s equatorial region. The craters have a wide range of sizes and have many different forms, which include fresh, degraded and some that are barely visible because they are so degraded. Generally, it can be assumed that fresh craters are younger than degraded craters and that the barely visible craters are the oldest. A roughly 7 kilometer (4 mile) diameter crater, offset from the center of the image, has some dark material slumping from its rim towards its center. There are many narrow linear grooves running diagonally across the image. These grooves are less than 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) in width.

30.01.2012 - Impact crater with unusual rim

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows Caparronia crater, after which Caparronia quadrangle is named. Caparronia crater has an unusually shaped, irregular rim that is sharp and fresh in some areas and more rounded and degraded in others. The floor of Caparronia crater is also unusual because it has an undulating topography and one large linear mound, which runs roughly vertically in this image. There are many smaller, younger craters superposed onto Caparronia and one reasonably large, fresher crater cuts across the top rim. Also, many linear grooves surround Caparronia crater.

27.01.2012 - Complex surface texture in Vesta’s southern hemisphere

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows the texture of the surface in a part of Vesta’s southern hemisphere. This region is just north of the main Rheasilvia structure. This image is dominated by the hummocky (i.e., wavy or undulating) terrain of Vesta’s southern hemisphere, which is seen here as sets of large, arcuate (i.e., curved) ridges and depressions. These ridges and depressions run nearly horizontally across the image. There is another set of small grooves that run diagonally across this image. They seem to be cutting into, and are therefore younger than, the ridges and depressions. These grooves appear to form complex networks and are less than 500 meters (1,600 feet) wide on average. There is also a large crater in the bottom of this image, which has a sharp, fresh rim and slumping features along its rim and sides. However, this image does not contain many craters, which is not unexpected as it is located in Vesta’s less heavily cratered southern hemisphere.

26.01.2012 - Crater with dark and bright ejecta

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image is centered on a small, young, fresh crater with bright and dark ejecta rays extending from it. This image is a brightness image, which is taken directly through the clear filter of the FC, and shows the brightness and darkness of the surface. This crater is approximately 5km wide and its ejecta extends for up to 15 kilometers (9 miles). The ejecta rays outside of the crater are mostly bright. The dark ejecta rays mostly slump into the center of the crater, but there are some dark rays that extend for a few kilometers outside of the crater rim. This combination of bright and dark ejecta rays give the crater an impressively mottled appearance. There is dark and bright material located across Vesta but it is unusual to have a crater with both bright and dark ejecta rays.

25.01.2012 - 3-D image of the central complex in Vesta’s Rheasilvia impact basin

This 3-D image, called an anaglyph, shows the central complex in Vesta’s Rheasilvia impact basin. To create this anaglyph, two differently colored images are superimposed with an offset to create depth. When viewed through red-blue glasses this anaglyph shows a 3-D view of Vesta’s surface. The images used to generate the two differently colored images that make up this anaglyph were obtained during the approach phase of NASA’s Dawn mission in July 2011. At the time the distance from Dawn to Vesta was about 5,200 kilometers (3,200 miles), which results in an image resolution of about 500 meters (1,600 feet) per pixel. The depth effect or topography differences in this anaglyph were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. North points to the bottom of this anaglyph. The central complex is approximately 200 kilometers (120 miles) in diameter and has approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) of relief from its base. This makes the central complex about two and a half times taller than Mt. Everest! There are a number of craters of different sizes and preservation states located on the central complex. There are also roughly linear ridges running up along the central complex, which clearly stand out in this anaglyph. These ridges are part of the hummocky (i.e., wavy or undulating) terrain of Vesta’s Rheasilvia basin.

24.01.2012 - 3-D image of Vesta’s “snowman” craters

This 3-D image, called an anaglyph, shows the topography of Vesta’s “Snowman” craters. To create this anaglyph two differently colored images are superimposed with an offset to create depth. When viewed through red-blue glasses, this anaglyph shows a 3-D view of Vesta’s surface. The images used to generate the two differently colored images that make up this anaglyph were obtained during Dawn’s mission in August 2011. At the time the distance from Dawn to Vesta was about 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles), which results in an image resolution of about 250 meters (820 feet) per pixel. The depth effect or topography differences in this anaglyph were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. North points to the left in this anaglyph. The three “snowman” craters dominate this image: the bottom crater, which is about 63 kilometers (40 miles) in diameter on average, has been named Marcia; the middle crater, which is about 53 kilometers (33 miles) in diameter on average, has been named Calpurnia and the top crater, which is about 24 kilometers (15 miles) in diameter on average, has been named Minucia. It is likely that Marcia and Calpurnia formed from the impact of a binary asteroid and that Minucia formed in a later impact. The region surrounding the three craters is relatively smooth because this is the ejecta blanket of the craters. A number of slumping features are clearly seen in both Marcia and Calpurnia.

23.01.2012 - 3-D image of Vesta’s eastern hemisphere

This 3-D image, called an anaglyph, shows the topography of Vesta’s eastern hemisphere. To create this anaglyph, two differently colored images are superimposed with an offset to create depth. When viewed through red-blue glasses this anaglyph shows a 3-D view of Vesta’s surface. The images used to generate the two differently colored images that make up this anaglyph were obtained during the approach phase of NASA’s Dawn mission in July 2011. At the time the distance from Dawn to Vesta was about 5,200 kilometers (3,200 miles), which results in an image resolution of about 500 meters (1,600 feet) per pixel. The depth effect or topography differences in this anaglyph were calculated from the shape model of Vesta. A number of Vesta’s large features are clear in this anaglyph. Firstly, the equatorial troughs are visible around Vesta’s equator. These troughs encircle most of the asteroid and are up to 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide. Secondly, to the north of these troughs there are a number of highly degraded, old, large craters. Vesta’s heavily cratered nature is clear from this anaglyph because younger, fresher craters are overlain onto many sets of older, more degraded craters. Due to Vesta’s angle towards the Sun the northernmost part of Vesta has yet to be illuminated and studied and is shown in shadow in this anaglyph. Finally, in the southern hemisphere there are generally fewer craters than in the northern hemisphere. Also visible protruding out from Vesta’s south polar region is a side view of the central complex of the Rheasilvia impact basin.

20.01.2012 - Topography and albedo image of Caparronia crater

These Dawn FC (framing camera) images show Caparronia crater, after which Caparronia quadrangle is named. The left image is a brightness image, which is taken directly through the clear filter of the FC and shows the brightness and darkness of the surface. The right image uses the same brightness image as its base but then a color-coded height representation of the topography is overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Caparronia crater is the large crater in the center of the images. It is a distinctive, irregularly shaped crater with a degraded rim. The base of Caparronia crater contains a linear ridge, which stands out clearly in the color-coded height image as a pale blue (i.e., higher) ridge on the dark blue (i.e., lower) base of the crater. This feature is possibly the result of material slumping into the center of the crater. The color-coded height image also shows the relatively steep slope on the eastern side of Caparronia crater because the colors change from red (i.e., higher) along the rim to dark blue (i.e., lower) in the base.

19.01.2012 - Topography and albedo image of Sextilia crater

These Dawn FC (framing camera) images show Sextilia crater, after which Sextilia quadrangle is named. The left image is a brightness image, which is taken directly through the clear filter of the FC and shows the brightness and darkness of the surface. The right image uses the same brightness image as its base but then a color-coded height representation of the topography is overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the top half of the image are the highest areas and the blue areas in the bottom of the image are the lowest areas. Sextilia crater is the crater about 15 kilometers (9 miles) in diameter, offset to the west of the center of the images. Bright material is seen slumping into the center of Sextilia crater from the rim in the brightness image. Also visible in the brightness image are some boulders just below the eastern rim of Sextilia crater. The crater rim is fresh and reasonably sharp, which is clear in the abrupt change of color on the northern rim of the crater in the color-coded height image.

18.01.2012 - Topography and albedo image of Tuccia crater

These Dawn FC (framing camera) images show Tuccia crater, after which Tuccia quadrangle is named. The left image is a brightness image, which is taken directly through the clear filter of the FC, and shows the brightness and darkness of the surface. The right image uses the same brightness image as its base but then a color-coded height representation of the topography is overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the top half of the image are the highest areas and the blue areas in the bottom of the image are the lowest areas. Tuccia crater is the crater about 8 kilometers (5 miles), offset to the right of the center of the images. It has a smaller, fresher impact crater located on its rim. Tuccia crater has distinctive bright ejecta rays emanating from it, which are clearly seen in the brightness image. Tuccia crater is located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northward of the rim of Vesta’s large south polar Rheasilvia basin. The hummocky (i.e., wavy or undulating) terrain of Vesta’s Rheasilvia basin is visible in the bottom half of these images as roughly vertical ridges.

17.01.2012 - Craters Within Thick Ejecta in the Rheasilvia Basin

This Dawn Framing Camera (FC) image shows a large crater with several smaller craters at the edge on the giant asteroid Vesta. Rough texture in the crater wall at far right may be the underlying bedrock. This image covers an area in the equatorial cratered terrain, centered around 58.3 south latitude and 283.7 degrees east longitude. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on Dec. 18, 2011. The distance to the surface of Vesta is 272 kilometers and the image has a resolution of about 25 meters per pixel. This image was acquired during the LAMO (Low Altitude Mapping Orbit) phase of the mission.

16.01.2012 - Rough Topography in the Rheasilvia Basin

This Dawn Framing Camera (FC) image shows a rough surface covered with ejecta and fine grooves on the giant asteroid Vesta. This image covers an area in the equatorial cratered terrain, centered around 51.6 degrees south latitude and 290.1 degrees east longitude. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on Dec. 18, 2011. The distance to the surface of Vesta is 265 kilometers and the image has a resolution of about 25 meters per pixel. This image was acquired during the LAMO (Low Altitude Mapping Orbit) phase of the mission.

13.01.2012 - Smooth Ejecta with Grooved Surface Showing Buried Craters

This Dawn Framing Camera (FC) image shows a surface with craters buried under thick ejected material that displays a grooved texture on the giant asteroid Vesta. The image covers an area in the equatorial cratered terrain, centered around 18.9 degrees south latitude and 253.3 degrees east longitude. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on Dec. 18, 2011. The distance to the surface of Vesta is 201 kilometers and the image has a resolution of about 25 meters per pixel. This image was acquired during the LAMO (Low Altitude Mapping Orbit) phase of the mission.

12.01.2012 - Bright Material Deposits in Crater Wall

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows a relatively fresh crater with bright deposits exposed in the crater wall that streak downslope on the giant asteroid Vesta. The image covers an area in the cratered highlands, centered around 13.5 degrees north latitude and 218.9 east longitude. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on Dec. 18, 2011. The distance to the surface of Vesta is 183 kilometers and the image has a resolution of about 25 meters per pixel. This image was acquired during the LAMO (Low Altitude Mapping Orbit) phase of the mission.

11.01.2012 - Unusual crater chains and ridges

This Dawn FC (framing camera) image shows a surface with many craters and linear chains of small craters that merge into ridges on the giant asteroid Vesta. The image covers an area in the cratered highlands, centered around 35.6 degrees north latitude and 2.6 degrees east longitude. NASA’s Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on Dec. 18, 2011. The distance to the surface of Vesta is 189 kilometers and the image has a resolution of about 25 meters per pixel. This image was acquired during the LAMO (Low Altitude Mapping Orbit) phase of the mission.

10.01.2012 - Topography and albedo image of Urbinia crater

These Dawn FC (framing camera) images show Urbinia crater, after which Urbinia quadrangle is named. 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 topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, allowing stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the top of the image are the highest areas and the blue areas in the bottom of the image are the lowest areas. Urbinia crater is distinctive because is has an irregularly shaped rim due to the formation of other impact craters along its rim and then subsequent erosion. There are at least 4 smaller impact craters on the rim of Urbinia crater that have changed the shape of the rim. But, the lower halves of these craters have partially slumped into the center of Urbinia crater, which means there is not a distinctive topographic difference between them and the walls of Urbinia crater. This is seen in the topography image because the color-coded heights are not too disrupted by the smaller impacts.

09.01.2012- Topography and albedo image of Pinaria crater

These Dawn FC (framing camera) images show Pinaria crater, after which Pinaria quadrangle is named. 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 topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, allowing stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the top half of the image are the highest areas and the blue area in the crater in the bottom of the image is the lowest area. Pinaria crater is a distinctive crater because it has an unusually shaped, fresh rim and because there is a lot of piled up slumped material in its center. This slumped material means that the center of the crater has roughly the same height as the lower crater walls, as seen in the topography image. Fresher, but less voluminous, material is seen slumping into Pinaria crater from the walls and rim in the albedo image. This includes some bright and dark material. Many young fresh impact craters are also visible on the slumped material.

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