Astronomy Picture of the Day · February 4, 2008

A Spider Shaped Crater on Mercury

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 4, 2008 is “A Spider Shaped Crater on Mercury,” an image. It is credited to Credit: MESSENGER , NASA , JHU APL , CIW. The original explanation runs about 145 words.

From the explanation

“Why does this crater on Mercury look like a spider? When the robotic MESSENGER spacecraft glided by the planet Mercury last month, it was able to image portions of the Sun’s closest planet that had never been seen before.”

— APOD editors, February 4, 2008

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: February 4, 2008
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: MESSENGER , NASA , JHU APL , CIW
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 145 words

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Topics in this entry

The Sun

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: February 4 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, February 4, 2008 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2008-february-4-a-spider-shaped-crater-on-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.