Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Mercury as Revealed by MESSENGER

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 8, 2008 is “Mercury as Revealed by MESSENGER,” an image. It is credited to Credit: MESSENGER , NASA , JHU APL , CIW. The original explanation runs about 122 words.

Mercury as Revealed by MESSENGER
Credit: MESSENGER , NASA , JHU APL , CIW Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the 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 .”

— APOD editors, October 8, 2008

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 8, 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 122 words

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Source

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.