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DAWN - Bild des Tages - Juli 2012

31.07.2012 - Revealing shadows 7

These Dawn framing camera (FC) images of Vesta demonstrate a special analytical technique, which results in shadowed areas of Vesta’s surface becoming illuminated. These shadowed areas are usually in the interiors of craters. In this technique reflected light from crater walls, which are lit by the sun, is used to peer into the shadowed areas, which are not lit by the sun. The reflected light that scatters into the shadows is very faint. But, the superb dynamic range of the framing camera detector results in the enhancement of this weak signal. Thus, the surface in the shadowed areas is illuminated by reflected light from the surrounding topography. The left image shows the crater with a shadowed interior and the center image shows the illuminated shadowed interior. Interestingly, the light reflected into the shadowed area has a different geometry, which results in concave features like craters looking more like convex blisters. The illuminated image is rotated by 180 degrees in order to adjust for this effect. In these images multiple shadowed areas in different craters have been illuminated.

30.07.2012 - Revealing shadows 6

30 July 2012
These Dawn framing camera (FC) images of Vesta demonstrate a special analytical technique, which results in shadowed areas of Vesta’s surface becoming illuminated. These shadowed areas are usually in the interiors of craters. In this technique reflected light from crater walls, which are lit by the sun, is used to peer into the shadowed areas, which are not lit by the sun. The reflected light that scatters into the shadows is very faint. But, the superb dynamic range of the framing camera detector results in the enhancement of this weak signal. Thus, the surface in the shadowed areas is illuminated by reflected light from the surrounding topography. The left image shows the crater with a shadowed interior and the center image shows the illuminated shadowed interior. Interestingly, the light reflected into the shadowed area has a different geometry, which results in concave features like craters looking more like convex blisters. The illuminated image is rotated by 180 degrees in order to adjust for this effect. There is a small hill in the center of the crater, which is probably the result of slumped material pilling up in the lowest part of the crater. There are also many small and a few large craters visible in the base of the crater.

27.07.2012 - Revealing shadows 5

These Dawn framing camera (FC) images of Vesta demonstrate a special analytical technique, which results in shadowed areas of Vesta’s surface becoming illuminated. These shadowed areas are usually in the interiors of craters. In this technique reflected light from crater walls, which are lit by the sun, is used to peer into the shadowed areas, which are not lit by the sun. The reflected light that scatters into the shadows is very faint. But, the superb dynamic range of the framing camera detector results in the enhancement of this weak signal. Thus, the surface in the shadowed areas is illuminated by reflected light from the surrounding topography. The left image shows the crater with a shadowed interior and the center image shows the illuminated shadowed interior. Interestingly, the light reflected into the shadowed area has a different geometry, which results in concave features like craters looking more like convex blisters. The illuminated image is rotated by 180 degrees in order to adjust for this effect. In the illuminated image patches of bright material and a few streaks of dark material can be distinguished around the rim of the interior of the crater.

26.07.2012 - Revealing shadows 4

26 July 2012
These Dawn framing camera (FC) images of Vesta demonstrate a special analytical technique, which results in shadowed areas of Vesta’s surface becoming illuminated. These shadowed areas are usually in the interiors of craters. In this technique reflected light from crater walls, which are lit by the sun, is used to peer into the shadowed areas, which are not lit by the sun. The reflected light that scatters into the shadows is very faint. But, the superb dynamic range of the framing camera detector results in the enhancement of this weak signal. Thus, the surface in the shadowed areas is illuminated by reflected light from the surrounding topography. The left image shows the crater with a shadowed interior and the center image shows the illuminated shadowed interior. Interestingly, the light reflected into the shadowed area has a different geometry, which results in concave features like craters looking more like convex blisters. The illuminated image is rotated by 180 degrees in order to adjust for this effect. Small ridges and blocks of material, probably formed by movement of material towards the center of the crater, are visible in the illuminated image.

25.07.2012 - Revealing shadow 3

These Dawn framing camera (FC) images of Vesta demonstrate a special analytical technique, which results in shadowed areas of Vesta’s surface becoming illuminated. These shadowed areas are usually in the interiors of craters. In this technique reflected light from crater walls, which are lit by the sun, is used to peer into the shadowed areas, which are not lit by the sun. The reflected light that scatters into the shadows is very faint. But, the superb dynamic range of the framing camera detector results in the enhancement of this weak signal. Thus, the surface in the shadowed areas is illuminated by reflected light from the surrounding topography. The left image shows the crater with a shadowed interior and the center image shows the illuminated shadowed interior. Interestingly, the light reflected into the shadowed area has a different geometry, which results in concave features like craters looking more like convex blisters. The illuminated image is rotated by 180 degrees in order to adjust for this effect. These illuminated images allow the interior morphology of these craters to be studied. In this case of this image, previously hidden streak features resulting from slumping can now be studied.

24.07.2012 - Revealing shadows 2

24 July 2012
These Dawn framing camera (FC) images of Vesta demonstrate a special analytical technique, which results in shadowed areas of Vesta’s surface becoming illuminated. These shadowed areas are usually in the interiors of craters. In this technique reflected light from crater walls, which are lit by the sun, is used to peer into the shadowed areas, which are not lit by the sun. The reflected light that scatters into the shadows is very faint. But, the superb dynamic range of the framing camera detector results in the enhancement of this weak signal. Thus, the surface in the shadowed areas is illuminated by reflected light from the surrounding topography. The left image shows the crater with a shadowed interior and the center image shows the illuminated shadowed interior. Interestingly, the light reflected into the shadowed area has a different geometry, which results in concave features like craters looking more like convex blisters. The illuminated image is rotated by 180 degrees in order to adjust for this effect. There is a narrow chain of craters outside of the crater’s rim in the bottom left corner of the left image. In the illuminated image this chain of craters is seen to continue into the crater’s interior.

23.07.2012 - Revealing shadows 1

These Dawn framing camera (FC) images of Vesta demonstrate a special analytical technique, which results in shadowed areas of Vesta’s surface becoming illuminated. These shadowed areas are usually in the interiors of craters. In this technique reflected light from crater walls, which are lit by the sun, is used to peer into the shadowed areas, which are not lit by the sun. The reflected light that scatters into the shadows is very faint. But, the superb dynamic range of the framing camera detector results in the enhancement of this weak signal. Thus, the surface in the shadowed areas is illuminated by reflected light from the surrounding topography. The left image shows the crater with a shadowed interior and the center image shows the illuminated shadowed interior. Interestingly, the light reflected into the shadowed area has a different geometry, which results in concave features like craters looking more like convex blisters. The illuminated image is rotated by 180 degrees in order to adjust for this effect. The resulting image can be seen in the right image. In the illuminated, rotated image small craters and streak features resulting from slumping can be seen.

20.07.2012 - Octavia crater

20 July 2012
Octavia crater is the large crater that dominates the right side of the image. It has a scalloped shaped rim and the top part of the rim is more degraded than the rest. There are patches of dark and bright material cropping out from Octavia’s rim and slumping towards its center. There appear to be more patches of bright material than dark material but this might just be on account of the illumination conditions in the image. There is a large ridge near the center of the crater and another smaller ridge on its right-hand slope. These ridges were probably formed by the accumulation of material that slumped down the crater’s walls. The area surrounding Octavia has many smaller impact craters and narrow grooves, which run diagonally across the image.

19.07.2012 - Publicia crater

Publicia crater is centered on the right side of the image and has a sharp, fresh rim. Around Publicia’s rim here are many alternating streaks of bright and dark material tumbling down towards its center. There are mounds of material in Publicia’s base that were probably deposited here after material tumbled down the crater’s sides. Interestingly, the mounds of material do not have distinct bright and dark patches like the material near the rim. The mounds of material have been in the base of the crater long enough for many small craters to form on them, so they must have been there for a reasonably long time. Publicia crater is one of the freshest looking craters in the image so the rest of the surface is probably older.

18.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Lepida crater

18 July 2012
The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Lepida crater is the large crater that dominates the bottom half of the image. Lepida has a fresh, irregularly shaped rim. There appears to be a smaller crater, which must be younger than Lepida crater, forming the bulge in the top part of Lepida’s rim. The bottom rim of the smaller crater has blended into the side of Lepida, but it can still be partly distinguished. There are some mounds of material in the bottom of Lepida crater, which were probably deposited here as a result of mass movement of material down the crater’s walls. These mounds cannot be too significant in height because they are not distinguished as a separate color in the topography image.

17.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Serena crater

The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Serena is the large crater offset to the left of the center of the image. There are patches of dark and bright material in Serena crater. They tend to originate slightly below the rim of the crater and then cascade down towards its center. The left side of Serena crater seems to be more degraded and shallower than the right side. The topography image confirms this: there are many more colored topography contours on the right side of the crater, which indicates that this side has a steeper slope. It can also be seen in the topography image that Serena crater formed on a slope. The more degraded and shallow side of the crater is located at the higher part of the slope. It is possible that material cascading down from the top of the slope caused this side of the crater to become more degraded and shallower.

16.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Occia crater

16 July 2012
The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Occia crater is the crater with dark material in the top left corner of the image. The dark material associated with Occia is not evenly spread around the crater; it is concentrated into two areas. In these areas it is both inside and outside of Occia’s rim. The topography image gives a possible explanation for why the dark material is unevenly located around Occia. The areas with the dark material generally have a lower relief (colored dark blue) than the areas without dark material. Perhaps the dark material is concentrated in these low relief areas because it is easier for it to slump into areas of lower topography.

13.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Sossia crater

The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Sossia crater is a middle-sized crater that is offset to the bottom right of the center of the image. Sossia is particularly apparent in the apparent brightness image because is has considerable dark and bright material associated with it. The bright material is mostly in the interior of the crater and the dark material is both inside of and outside of the crater rim. Just outside the bottom rim a smaller crater has excavated a distinctive patch of dark material. A ribbon of dark material appears to extend from the top rim of Sossia towards a similarly sized crater, which is offset from to the top left of the center of the image. It is often difficult to tell whether this dark ribbon is formed of dark material or whether it is a shadow cast by linear ridges or similar structures. A photometrically corrected image, where the shadows have been removed, is necessary to tell apart the dark material and the shadows in this case.

12.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Rubria crater

12 July 2012
The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Rubria crater is the middle-sized crater, offset to the bottom right of the center of the image, which has dark and bright material associated with it. This dark and bright material is slumping towards Rubria’s center and the dark material forms distinctive rays that spread out around the top part of Rubria. The large, degraded crater in the top tip of the image is difficult to see in the apparent brightness image but is much easier to see in the topography image. The topography image also shows that Rubria formed in a region of high elevation, which is shaded white and pink/ red. The lower boundary of this high region is the trough named Divalia Fossa.

11.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Divalia Fossa and Rubria and Occia craters

The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. These images show a part of the large trough, Divalia Fossa, which encircles most of Vesta’s equator. Divalia Fossa is visible in both the apparent brightness image and the topography image: it is the approximately 10 kilometer (6 mile) wide depression that runs from the left corner to the right corner of the images. The top rim of Divalia Fossa is especially clear in the topography image. A number of smaller troughs above and below Divalia Fossa are parallel to it. Rubria and Occia craters straddle Divalia Fossa: Rubria is the crater with dark and bright material above Divalia Fossa and Occia is the crater with bright and dark material below.

10.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Publicia crater

10 July 2012
The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Publicia crater is the large, sharp rimmed crater in the bottom right of the image. Publicia is bowl shaped, which can be seen in the topography image. There is a large mound of material in the center of the crater. This material was probably deposited here after Vesta’s gravity caused it to slump down the crater walls to the center, which is the crater’s lowest point. A number of small impact craters have formed on this material. The apparent brightness image shows that there is a fine-scale intermingling of bright and dark material around the rim of Publicia crater.

09.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Octavia crater

The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Octavia is the large crater that dominates the bottom right of the image. Octavia has a scalloped rim, which is fresher on one side and more degraded on the other. The topography image shows that Octavia formed on a slope: the high topography white area in the bottom right of the image slopes downhill to the low topography blue area in the top left of the image. A part of Octavia’s rim may have become degraded because Octavia formed on this slope and/ or this degradation may be due to the mass movement of material towards Octavia’s center. The ridge in Octavia’s center may have been formed by deposition of such material. There is a distinct small patch of dark material on Octavia’s bottom rim.

06.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Urbinia and Sossia craters

9 July 2012
The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Urbinia crater is the large, irregularly shaped crater in the left corner of the image. Sossia is the middle-sized crater, containing dark material, in the center of the bottom right edge of the image. The irregular shape of Urbinia crater is probably due to a number of smaller craters being formed on its rim. Then these smaller craters and the rim of Urbinia merge together, probably due to the mass movement of material towards the center of Urbinia. From the topography image it can be seen that the lowest point in Urbinia (shaded blue) is offset from the center of the crater. This could be due to the fact that Urbinia formed on a slope. This slope is shaded from red to green in the top part of the topography image. The apparent brightness image shows that there is much more distinctive bright and dark material in Sossia crater than in Urbinia crater.

05.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Licinia crater

The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Licinia is the large, bowl shaped crater in the center of the image. In the topography image, the colored topography contours, which are evenly spaced around the interior of the crater, highlight the bowl-shape of Licinia. Licinia has a sharp rim, which has a scalloped edge. This scalloped shape was probably formed by material falling into the center of the crater at different rates. In the apparent brightness image, linear streaks on the crater walls are evidence for mass movement of material into the center of the crater. This material pilling up in the center of the crater may have formed the hills of material in this area. There is also smoother material in the center of the crater, which is slightly darker than the surrounding material. There is some bright material around the rim of the crater.

03.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Sossia and Canuleia craters

3 July 2012
The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Canuleia crater is in the bottom right side of the image and is surrounded by bright material. Sossia crater is in the bottom left side of the image and has mostly dark material associated with it. Rays of bright material surround Canuleia crater and rays of dark material extend from the top part of Sossia crater. There is also some dark material associated with Canuleia crater; there is some around the crater’s rim and a long, dark band extends from the left side of the crater. The bright material around Canuleia crater is topographically high compared to the low region in which the dark band is located.

02.07.2012 - Apparent brightness and topography images of Scantia crater

The left-hand image is a Dawn FC (framing camera) image, which shows the apparent brightness of Vesta’s surface. The right-hand image is based on this apparent brightness image, which has had a color-coded height representation of the topography overlain onto it. The topography is calculated from a set of images that were observed from different viewing directions, which allows stereo reconstruction. The various colors correspond to the height of the area. The white and red areas in the topography image are the highest areas and the blue areas are the lowest areas. Scantia crater is the large crater that dominates the left side of the image. Scantia is on the northern edge of the Saturnalia Fossa trough. A part of Saturnalia Fossa appears in the bottom of this image and is colored blue and green. An area of smooth ejecta surrounds Scantia, which is a raised area in the topography image. There are interesting features visible inside of Scantia crater despite the fact that much of the inside of the crater is obscured by shadow. Two bright slumps of material are inside of Scantia crater and there are some boulders on the left side of Scantia crater.

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