Mercury surprises from MESSENGER MESSENGER's recent flyby of
Mercury has provided scientists with an entirely new, and
surprising, view of the innermost planet. January 30, 2008
Provided by NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. January 30, 2008
This frame, taken by MESSENGER's Narrow Angle Camera, shows a
region of Mercury's surface previously unseen by spacecraft and
a large scarp crossing vertically through the scene, on the far
right of the image. This scarp is the northern continuation of
the one seen in the NAC image released on January 16. The width
of this image is about 125 miles (200 kilometers), showing that
these scarps can be hundreds of kilometers long on Mercury.
Photo by NASA/JHUAPL/CIW The recent flyby of Mercury by NASA's
MESSENGER spacecraft has given scientists an entirely new look
at a planet once thought to have characteristics similar to
those of Earth's moon. Researchers are amazed by the wealth of
images and data that show a unique world with a diversity of
geological processes and a ver