Mercury's Horizon
Date: 29 Sep 2009

A previously unseen view of Mercury's northern horizon captured by the MESSENGER spacecraft during its third flyby of our solar system's innermost planet.


In this image, Mercury's northern horizon cuts a crisp line against the blackness of space. The surface in the lower right corner of the image is near Mercury's terminator, the line between the light dayside and dark nightside of the planet. Looking toward the horizon, smooth plains extend for large distances, similar to volcanic plains seen nearby during MESSENGER's second flyby of Mercury.


Last Update: 17 Jun 2011 (AMB)

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