Aparangi Planitia (Mercury)

Data as of 2026-10-23

What it is

Type
Planitia, planitiae
IAU definition

Low plain

Diameter
1,077 km, 44 % of the radius of its body
Centre
6.7° N, 70.62° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
Name adopted
March 14, 2017
Origin of the name

Māori word for the planet Mercury.

Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.

In Galaxy

See it in Galaxy

Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Aparangi Planitia.

Observed by

Instruments whose footprint touches this formation, counted by the PDS Orbital Data Explorer (data frozen on September 29, 2026). A footprint that touches it is not a study of it.

Observed by
Mission and instrumentProductsFirstLast
MESSENGER · Mercury Dual Imaging System - Wide Angle Camera8,305January 1, 2000January 24, 2015
MESSENGER · Mercury Dual Imaging System18January 1, 2000November 1, 2014
MESSENGER · Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer4,096August 13, 2004April 30, 2015
MESSENGER · Mercury Dual Imaging System - Narrow Angle Camera8,913January 14, 2008January 26, 2015
MESSENGER · Mercury Laser Altimeter225January 14, 2008March 22, 2015

Sources

International Astronomical Union Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature, Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, read on October 23, 2026. Feature page: https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/15556

Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms

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