Pettengill Dorsum (Mercury)
Data as of 2026-10-23
What it is
- Type
- Dorsum, dorsa
- IAU definition
Ridge
- Diameter
- 804 km, 33 % of the radius of its body
- Centre
- 79° N, 350.04° east (planetocentric latitude, east longitude from 0 to 360°, the IAU convention)
- Name adopted
- August 18, 2026
- Origin of the name
Origin: Gordon; American radio astronomer who measured the spin rate of Mercury by reflecting radar pulses from the planet's surface and studying the pattern of Doppler shifts of the returning signals (1926-2021).
Quoted in English, as the IAU publishes it.
In Galaxy
Opens its body in the application, the camera turned towards Pettengill Dorsum.
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.
| Mission and instrument | Products | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| MESSENGER · Mercury Dual Imaging System - Wide Angle Camera | 56,855 | January 1, 2000 | April 8, 2015 |
| MESSENGER · Mercury Dual Imaging System | 5 | January 1, 2000 | November 1, 2014 |
| MESSENGER · Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer | 5,486 | August 13, 2004 | April 30, 2015 |
| MESSENGER · Mercury Laser Altimeter | 5,722 | January 14, 2008 | April 30, 2015 |
| MESSENGER · Mercury Dual Imaging System - Narrow Angle Camera | 15,981 | March 30, 2011 | April 8, 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/16495
Type definitions: IAU Descriptor Terms, read on October 17, 2026. https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/DescriptorTerms