Nasa Releases First-Ever Global Topographic Model of Mercury

Advertisement
By Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: 9 May 2016 12:00 IST
Nasa's Messenger mission has unveiled the first global digital elevation model (DEM) of Mercury, revealing in stunning detail the topography across the entire innermost planet.

It will also pave the way for scientists to fully characterise Mercury's geologic history.

"The wealth of these data has already enabled and will continue to enable exciting scientific discoveries about Mercury for decades to come," said Susan Ensor, software engineer at The Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).

This new model reveals a variety of interesting topographic features, including the highest and lowest points on the planet.

Advertisement

The highest elevation on Mercury is at 4.48 km above Mercury's average elevation, located just south of the equator in some of Mercury's oldest terrain.

Advertisement

The lowest elevation, at 5.38 km below Mercury's average, is found on the floor of Rachmaninoff basin, an intriguing double-ring impact basin suspected to host some of the most recent volcanic deposits on the planet.

Advertisement

More than 100,000 images were used to create the new model.

"This has become one of my favourite maps of Mercury. Now that it is available, I'm looking forward to it being used to investigate this epic volcanic event that shaped Mercury's surface," added Nancy Chabot, instrument scientist for the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) in a Nasa statement.

Advertisement

"During its four years of orbital observations,Messenger  revealed the global characteristics of one of our closest planetary neighbours for the first time.

The data from the mission will continue to be utilised by the planetary science community for years to come.

 

Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.

Further reading: Mercury, Messenger, Nasa, Science
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Vivo Y500i With a 7,200mAh Battery, 50-Megapixel Camera Launched
  2. These OnePlus, Samsung Phones Will Be on Sale During Amazon's Next Sale
  3. Amazon Great Republic Day Sale 2026: iQOO Smartphone Deals Revealed
  4. Grok Banned in Indonesia and Malaysia Following Deepfake Image Concerns
  5. Google Maps Audio Navigation Problems Could Affect Driver Safety: Report
  6. Redmi Turbo 5 Pro Max Could Launch With This MediaTek Dimensity Chipset
  7. Instagram Denies Reports of Data Breach, Says 'Accounts Are Secure'
  8. Disney+ to Launch Vertical Video Feed to Rival TikTok, YouTube Shorts
  9. Nikita Roy Streaming Online: Know Everything About Plot, Streaming, Cast, and More
  10. Govt Denies Seeking Source Code from Smartphone Makers Amid Calls for Pushback
  1. Bitcoin Trades Flat as Crypto Markets Enter a Consolidation Phase
  2. Forza Horizon 6 and Fable Gameplay to Debut at Xbox Developer Direct on January 22
  3. Instagram Denies Reports of Hacking and Data Breach, Says ‘Accounts Are Secure’
  4. Shell OTT Release Date: When and Where to Watch Elizabeth Moss and Kate Hudson’s Psychological Drama Online?
  5. Nikita Roy Now Available for Streaming on JioHotstar: Know Everything About Sonakshi Sinha’s Mystery Horror Film
  6. Amazon Great Republic Day Sale 2026: Acer, Dell, and Asus Laptops to Get Up to 45 Percent Discount
  7. Redmi Turbo 5 Pro Max Likely to Launch With MediaTek Dimensity 9500s Chipset, 16GB of RAM: Report
  8. Grok Banned in Indonesia and Malaysia Following Deepfake Image Concerns
  9. Amazon Great Republic Day Sale 2026: Discounts on OnePlus 15, Samsung Galaxy A55 and More Smartphones Revealed
  10. Govt Calls Demand for Smartphone OS Source Code Fake, Says Consulting Stakeholders
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.