Topographic Mercury

A Miniature topographic Mercury, with global 3d surface relief detail.

50mm version
70mm version
90mm version
120mm version

A Mercury globe with a false colour texture indicating terrain height.

The underlining relief geometry is a combination of Messenger data (particularly in the Northern hemisphere that has been well-mapped by Messenger's Laser altimetry) and Robert Gaskell’s image based stereo-photo-clinometry technique. As a result, this globe features both North & South hemisphere detail.

As is the case with most of the larger bodies in the solar system, surface detail to true scale would be too smooth to be perceived and so all relief has been exagerated on its Z axis for effect.

Credit for the colour texture itself goes to Kris Becker of USGS.