Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 16, 2008

MESSENGER Passes Mercury

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 16, 2008 is “MESSENGER Passes Mercury,” an image. It is credited to Credit: MESSENGER Teams , JHU APL , NASA. The original explanation runs about 184 words.

From the explanation

“Two days ago, the MESSENGER spacecraft became only the second spacecraft in human history to swoop past Mercury. The last spacecraft to visit the Sun’s closest planet was Mariner 10 over 35 years ago .”

— APOD editors, January 16, 2008

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 16, 2008
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: MESSENGER Teams , JHU APL , NASA
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 184 words

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Topics in this entry

The Sun

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 16 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 16, 2008 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2008-january-16-messenger-passes-mercury

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.