The surface of the planet Mercury has been divided into fifteen quadrangles, designated H-1 to H-15 (the 'H' stands for Hermes, the Greek equivalent of Mercury). The quadrangles are named for prominent surface features visible within each area. The quadrangles were initially named for albedo features, as these were the most prominent features visible before mapping was carried out by spacecraft. The mapping carried out with the images obtained by the Mariner 10 flybys in 1974 and 1975 led to nine of the quadrangles being renamed for newly mapped prominent features. The remaining six quadrangles were completely unmapped by Mariner 10 and were still referred to by their albedo feature names. Following the arrival of MESSENGER in orbit in 2011, these six quadrangles were mapped and renamed. The base mosaic used in the new maps was produced with orbital images by the MESSENGER Team and released by NASA’s Planetary Data System on March 8, 2013. This global mosaic includes complete coverage of Mercury’s surface.
Name Number Namesake Albedo feature name Latitudes Longitudes Mariner 10 map Current map Notes Borealis H-1 Borealis Planitia Borea 67-90° N 0-360° Provisionally called "Goethe", but renamed by the International Astronomical Union in 1976 (IAU, 1977) Victoria H-2 Victoria Rupes Aurora 21-66° N 0-90° Shakespeare H-3 Shakespeare crater Caduceata 21-66° N 90-180° Raditladi H-4 Raditladi crater Liguria 21-66° N 180-270° none Hokusai H-5 Hokusai crater Apollonia 21-66° N 270-360° none Kuiper H-6 Kuiper crater Tricrena 22°S - 22°N 0-72° Beethoven H-7 Beethoven crater Solitudo Lycaonis 22°S - 22°N 72-144° Tolstoj H-8 Tolstoj crater Phaethontias 22°S - 22°N 144-216° Provisionally called "Tir", but renamed by the International Astronomical Union in 1976 (IAU, 1977) Eminescu H-9 Eminescu crater Solitudo Criophori 22°S - 22°N 216-288° none Derain H-10 Derain crater Pieria 22°S - 22°N 288-360° none Discovery H-11 Discovery Rupes Solitudo Hermae Trismegisti 21-66° S 0-90° Michelangelo H-12 Michelangelo crater Solitudo Promethei 21-66° S 90-180° Neruda H-13 Neruda crater Solitudo Persephones 21-66° S 180-270° none Debussy H-14 Debussy crater Cyllene 21-66° S 270-360° none Bach H-15 Bach crater Australia 67-90° S 0-360°
Schema of the quadrangles Relationship of the quadrangles to each other on the surface of Mercury:
See also List of quadrangles on Venus List of quadrangles on the Moon List of quadrangles on Mars
References