NASA Spacecraft Streams Back Surprises From Mercury

The recent flyby of Mercury by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has given scientists an entirely new look at a planet once thought to have characteristics similar to those of Earth's moon.
Click here for a movie of the Mercury approach.
Click here for a departure video. For this video, Messenger acquired one image every four minutes over a 19 hour period. In total, 288 images were snapped during this time and were compiled sequentially to produce this movie.
The spacecraft also discovered a unique feature that scientists dubbed "The Spider." Near the center of the basin, an area unseen by Mariner 10, this remarkable feature pictured– nicknamed “the spider” by the science team – was revealed. A set of troughs radiates outward in a geometry unlike anything seen by Mariner 10. The radial troughs are interpreted to be the result of extension (breaking apart) of the floor materials that filled the Caloris basin after its formation.

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