Date: 30 May 2012
Satellite: Rosetta
Depicts: OSIRIS image of boundary between two regions of different geological age on asteroid (21) Lutetia
Copyright: Image from Thomas et al., Planetary and Space Science, Vol. 66, 2012

This image shows a portion of the surface of the main-belt asteroid (21) Lutetia. The image was obtained with the OSIRIS camera on ESA's Rosetta spacecraft as it flew past the asteroid on 10 July 2010.

By tracing craters and other features on Lutetia's surface, scientists have put together a geological map for the asteroid. Their studies have shown that Lutetia's surface comprises regions spanning a wide range of ages: each of them reveals a chapter in the long and tumultuous history of this asteroid.

The image shows the boundary between two of the regions that have been identified on the asteroid's surface in terms of their geological history. In particular, the image shows the abrupt transition between the young and smooth Baetica region, in the upper part of the image, and the much older and heavily cratered Noricum region, in the lower part of the image.