Explanation: The planet Mercury has been known since history has been recorded, but parts of the Solar System's innermost planet have never been seen like this before. Two days ago the robotic MESSENGER spacecraft buzzed past Mercury for the second time and imaged terrain mapped previously only by comparatively crude radar. The above image was recorded as MESSENGER looked back 90 minutes after passing, from an altitude of about 27,000 kilometers. Visible in the above image, among many other newly imaged features, are unusually long rays that appear to run like meridians of longitude out from a young crater near the northern limb. MESSENGER is scheduled to fly past Mercury once more before firing its thrusters to enter orbit in 2011.

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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.

Publikacii s klyuchevymi slovami: Mercury - Merkurii Publikacii so slovami: Mercury - Merkurii
Sm. takzhe: Krater Vival'di na Merkurii ot apparata "BepiKolombo" S dobrym utrom, Luna Merkurii s proletayushego apparata "BepiKolombo" Natrievyi hvost Merkuriya Merkurii i svet da Vinchi Venera, Merkurii i ubyvayushaya Luna Natrievyi sled Merkuriya Vse publikacii na tu zhe temu >>