Yesterday – March 29, 2011 – NASA released an historic image of the sun’s innermost planet, Mercury – the first-ever image of Mercury taken from an orbiting spacecraft. The MESSENGER spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mercury since March 17, obtained this image of Mercury, which came in at 5:20 a.m. EDT yesterday.

Are there any photos of Mercury?

Kandinsky Crater on Mercury The probe snapped more than 200,000 photos of Mercury. Here: Kandinsky crater lies near Mercury’s north pole, and may have hosted water ice. MESSENGER spacecraft’s Wide Angle Camera broadband image appears at left, outlined in yellow, and superimposed on an MDIS polar mosaic.

What color is Mercury?

light grey
What does Mercury look like? Here you can see that Mercury is a light grey color.

Who took the picture of Mercury?

UPDATE: The latest photos of Mercury from NASA’s Messenger spacecraft can be seen here.

What are 5 facts about Mercury?

Facts about Mercury

  • Mercury does not have any moons or rings.
  • Mercury is the smallest planet.
  • Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.
  • Your weight on Mercury would be 38% of your weight on Earth.
  • A solar day on the surface of Mercury lasts 176 Earth days.
  • A year on Mercury takes 88 Earth days.

When were the first close-up images of planet Mercury taken?

Early Tuesday morning, NASA’s Messenger spacecraft sent home the first image of Mercury ever taken from orbit around the planet. The picture, taken at 5:20 a.m. EDT on March 29, shows a wide swath of Mercury’s southern hemisphere.

How big is Mercury vs Earth?

With a radius of 1,516 miles (2,440 kilometers), Mercury is a little more than 1/3 the width of Earth. If Earth were the size of a nickel, Mercury would be about as big as a blueberry. From an average distance of 36 million miles (58 million kilometers), Mercury is 0.4 astronomical units away from the Sun.

What is the most colorful planet?

The planet Saturn: truly massive and stunningly beautiful with its rings. It’s also home to amazing moons like Titan. The planet Saturn is probably the best known and most beautiful planet in the Solar System. Saturn’s rings are far more extensive and more easily seen than those of any other planet.

Is Mercury a real planet?

Planet Mercury is a distinct planet as it is closest to the sun. It is named after a Roman god. In terms of size, it is only one third the size of Earth and is considered a small planet.

What is the story of mercury?

Mercury was one of the most popular of the ancient deities and was featured in many stories. He is supposed to have killed Argus on the orders of Zeus, by lulling him to sleep and then chopping off his head. The Romans, whose culture was in many ways derivative of the Greeks, borrowed the old stories and myths from the Greek God Hermes and laid them on top of their own similar god, Mercury.

What are facts about planet Mercury?

Facts about Mercury Mercury does not have any moons or rings. Mercury is the smallest planet. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. Your weight on Mercury would be 38% of your weight on Earth. A solar day on the surface of Mercury lasts 176 Earth days. A year on Mercury takes 88 Earth days. It’s not known who discovered Mercury.

What has Mercury in it?

batteries

  • measuring devices,such as thermometers and barometers
  • electric switches and relays in equipment
  • lamps (including some types of light bulbs)
  • dental amalgam (for dental fillings)
  • skin-lightening products and other cosmetics
  • pharmaceuticals.