Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Messenger Sends First Full Fly-By Image of Mercury

Posted by timothy on from the most-strained-backformation-name-ever dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this snippet from Gizmodo: "NASA's Messenger (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging spacecraft) has flown by just 125 miles over the surface of Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest in the Solar System. This is the first time in history that the whole planet is going to be photographed in its entirety by an Earthling probe, with amazing resolution and ultra-crisp detail." The picture at the top of the linked story is fantastic, too.

3 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Did they by Chris+Burke · · Score: 4, Funny

    Tom Tucker: Yes they did, and we go to Ollie Williams with the Black-U-Weather Mercury Forecast. Ollie?

    Ollie Williams: It's hot!

    Tom Tucker: Thank you, Ollie.

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  2. Re:RAEG by UncleTogie · · Score: 4, Funny

    Looks like the fact that the International Astronomical Union mickey-moused a minnie-planet is driving this user goofy.

    --
    Don't tell me to get a life. I'm a gamer; I have LOTS of lives!
  3. Re:Earthling by Digital+Pizza · · Score: 2, Funny

    Do they claim to be from France?

    --
    We apologize for the inconvenience.