Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 12, 1997

Mercury in Stereo: Craters Within Craters

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 12, 1997 is “Mercury in Stereo: Craters Within Craters,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Mariner 10, NASA. The original explanation runs about 183 words.

From the explanation

“Explanation : This Stereo image pair of craters on on Mercury was produced using data from NASA’s robot explorer Mariner 10 which performed three close flybys of the Sun’s closest companion , two in 1974 and one in 1975. However, the spacecraft was not equipped with a Stereo camera!”

— APOD editors, January 12, 1997

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 12, 1997
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Mariner 10, NASA
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 183 words

All of January 1997 → · 1997 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Sun

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 12 in other years

On Amazon

Popular picks for space fans

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Electronics Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition 32GB Read astronomy and space-history books anywhere. View on Amazon → Electronics Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones Noise-cancelling headphones for documentaries and launch livestreams. View on Amazon →

Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 12, 1997 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1997-january-12-mercury-in-stereo-craters-within-craters

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.