Alien Mining Operations on Mercury?

[Squink]

In this Messenger image:
Looking Toward the South Pole of Mercury (click to enlarge)
There's a very odd, plumelike, extension of daylight at the leftward terminator.
If it's caused by sunlight reflecting off a tall ridge, it's a mighty tall, oddly shaped ridge. Of course, it might be a large fumerole, rather than the exhaust from an alien smokestack, but whatever it is, it's odd.

[NEOWatcher]

If it's caused by sunlight reflecting off a tall ridge, it's a mighty tall, oddly shaped ridge.

Almost... If you follow the curvature of the terminator from the remainder of the picture, that feature falls well within the circle.

The terrain is there, it's just in such a dark shadow that nothing is appearing.

Compare the shading of the ridge, to the "left" sides of the other craters in the picture. Also compare the shading on the "right"side of the other craters and you'll see how black that can be.

[Jetlack]

I noticed that same feature when looking at the Messnger photo, but if you look at the white colouring on the "trail" it appears to be made of the same material as on most of the crater rims. I think its just an extension of a rim or two, and has created an optical illusion because of the surrounding darkness.

Still more intersting that the silly martian rock figure appearing in mainstream media today from an old 2004 MER pic :-)

[Squink]

I think its just an extension of a rim or two, and has created an optical illusion because of the surrounding darkness.

That seems likely. At first glance, things need to get awfully tall to appear to rise above the limb of a planet, but the terminator is coming into play here as well. I expect some nasty geometry on the angular relationships between the planet, the sun, and the spacecraft would show that the extension isn't as unusual as it looks.

[tbm]

As we get more and up-to-date informantion from Mercury, I would expect also to get more and up-to-date reports if alien structures from Hoagland, et al.

tbm

[trinitree88]

In this Messenger image:
Looking Toward the South Pole of Mercury (click to enlarge)
There's a very odd, plumelike, extension of daylight at the leftward terminator.
If it's caused by sunlight reflecting off a tall ridge, it's a mighty tall, oddly shaped ridge. Of course, it might be a large fumerole, rather than the exhaust from an alien smokestack, but whatever it is, it's odd.

Squink. Fraser posted on moon dust devils at the terminator. Evidently electrostatic charging swirls dust into the air in the absence of an atmosphere. see:http://www.bautforum.com/universe-to...orms-moon.html
Might be happening on Mercury, too...with the higher intensity ultraviolet radiation levels there, and its' slow rotation rate.
pete

[korjik]

Bloody wildcatters. Thanks for the heads up, we chased them off. They really didnt have to buzz Texas on the way by tho.