NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging spacecraft, also known as MESSENGER, flew by the planet Mercury for its second time last week.  MESSENGER was able to capture multiple pictures of Mercury’s surface, like this one from Information Week.  The images give astronomers a close-up look at a never before seen side of the planet.

 

MESSENGER principal investigator Sean Solomon told Astronomy Magazine that all of MESSENGER’s instruments “returned data as planned” from the side of the Mercury opposite the one the MESSENGER viewed in its first flyby last January. 

 

            Among the interesting features viewed was the crater Kuiper.  NASA originally spotted Kuiper in the 1970s, but it can be seen more clearly than ever in the MESSENGER’s new images.  Discover Magazine’s webpage has an excellent close-up of Mercury’s craters.  Kuiper is the largest crater at the top of the image.

 

New traits of Mercury’s surface, made clear from the MESSENGER images, are rays extending from what appears to be a young crater.  Astronomers believe rays are material ejected from all young craters.  (Earth’s moon is known to have similar rays.)  Because radar “bounces” indicated material present other than rock on Mercury’s surface, scientists expected to find the rays.  However, this is the first time the rays have actually been visible in images.  You can clearly see them extending from a crater in this other image from Discover Magazine.

 

The MESSENGER will make one more pass by Mercury before falling into orbit around it in March 2011.  Orbiting will allow the MESSENGER to closer study and obtain data from the planet.