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A New Mercury Revealed

A New Mercury Revealed
A New Mercury Revealed On January 14, 2008, MESSENGER became the first spacecraft to visit Mercury since Mariner 10 flew by in 1974 and 1975. This color composite view is constructed of images MESSENGER captured about 80 minutes prior to closest approach, from roughly 27,000 kilometers (16,800 miles) out. The sunlit area was imaged by Mariner 10, but under different lighting conditions. This image and other MESSENGER data will give us a detailed, global view of Mercury, revealing much about the planet closest to the Sun. NASA / APL / CIW