Details of MESSENGER Impact Location

These graphics show the current best prediction of the location and time of NASA MESSENGER impact on Mercury surface. These current best estimates are: Date: 30 April 2015 Time: 3:26:02 pm EDT 19:26:02 UTC Latitude: 54.4° N Longitude: 210.1° E. Traveling at 3.91 kilometers per second (over 8,700 miles per hour), the MESSENGER spacecraft will collide with Mercury's surface, creating a crater estimated to be 16 meters (52 feet) in diameter. View this image to learn about the named features and geology of this region on Mercury. Instruments: Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) and Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) Top Image Latitude Range: 49°-59° N Top Image Longitude Range: 204°-217° E Topography in Top Image: Exaggerated by a factor of 5.5. Colors in Top Image: Coded by topography. The tallest regions are colored red and are roughly 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) higher than low-lying areas such as the floors of impact craters, colored blue. Scale in Top Image: The large crater on the left side of the image is Janacek, with a diameter of 48 kilometers (30 miles) http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19443