Explanation:
Only six years ago, the
entire surface
of planet Mercury was finally mapped.
Detailed observations of the
innermost planet's surprising crust began when the robotic
have been ongoing since the robotic
MESSENGER spacecraft
first passed Mercury in 2008 and continued until its
controlled crash landing in 2015.
Previously, much of the
Mercury's surface was unknown as it is too far
for Earth-bound telescopes to see clearly, while the
Mariner 10
flybys in the 1970s observed only about half.
The
featured video
is a compilation of thousands of images of
Mercury
rendered in
exaggerated colors
to better contrast different surface features.
Visible on the rotating world are
rays emanating from a
northern impact that stretch across much of the planet,
while about half-way through the video the light colored
Caloris Basin rotates into view,
a northern ancient impact feature that filled with
lava.
Recent analysis of MESSENGER data indicates that Mercury has a
solid
inner core.
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Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
