Never let anyone dull your sparkle :

⁣Mercury – the closest planet to the Sun – shines bright in this color base map from our Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft, the first to orbit the planet.⁣

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This view of Mercury has been enhanced to show chemical, mineralogical, and physical distinctions on Mercury’s surface. Young craters appear in light blue, highly fluid lavas appear in tan, and a dark, rich, opaque mineral appears in darker blue.⁣

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Launched in 2004, the MESSENGER spacecraft helped expand our understanding of Mercury’s evolution and history, showing us the planet has water, ice, and organic compounds at its north and volcanos continue to reshape its surface.⁣

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Image description: Mercury appears bright against the blackness of space, in tan, light blue, and dark blue, showing geographical features of the volcanic surface.⁣

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Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

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#Space #SolarSystem #Mercury #MESSENGER #NASA #Sparkle #Planet

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 23 December 2023