Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

MESSENGER's Last Day on Mercury

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for May 1, 2025 is “MESSENGER's Last Day on Mercury,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: NASA , Johns Hopkins Univ. APL , Arizona State Univ., CIW. The original explanation runs about 178 words.

MESSENGER's Last Day on Mercury
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , Johns Hopkins Univ. APL , Arizona State Univ., CIW Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“The first to orbit inner planet Mercury, the MESSENGER spacecraft came to rest on this region of Mercury’s surface on April 30, 2015. Constructed from MESSENGER image and laser altimeter data, the projected scene looks north over the northeastern rim of the broad, lava filled Shakespeare basin .”

— APOD editors, May 1, 2025

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
May 1, 2025
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: NASA , Johns Hopkins Univ. APL , Arizona State Univ., CIW
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 178 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.