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Geometry of past flybys of Mercury

Geometry of past flybys of Mercury
Geometry of past flybys of Mercury This view of Mercury from above its north pole shows the trajectories along which magnetometer observations were made by the Mariner 10 (blue) and MESSENGER (tan) spacecraft. The MESSENGER data from the second flyby on October 6, 2008 provide the only data to date from the planet's western hemisphere. NASA / JPL-Caltech / JHUAPL / CIW