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Mercury A collection of pictures of the planet Mercury, taken by space probes.

Here are our favorite pictures of Mercury. Like our other space galleries, the pictures have not been selected because of their scientific significance but because of their esthetic value and sometimes because of their historical importance. For those more interested in the science behind the images, here is the Wikipedia-Link to Mercury So far, only two spacecraft have visited Mercury. The picture to the left was taken during MESSENGER's first flyby on January 14, 2008. Source: blogontheuniverse.org

Mariner 10

Composite of the first images of Mercury, March 29, 1974. Source: solarspace.co.uk

The American probe Mariner 10, launched on November 3, 1973 passed Venus on February 5, 1974 and conducted the first of three flybys of Mercury on March 29, 1974 in a distance of just 437 miles.

MESSENGER

Craters on Mercury's north pole. Source: New York Times

NASA's MESSENGER is the only other spacecraft that visited Mercury. It was launched on August 3, 2004. After three flybys, it was inserted into an orbit around Mercury in 2011, mapping the entire planet for four years, until it crashed into the surface on April 30, 2015. One of MESSENGERS's most spectacular findings was the discovery of water ice in shadowy craters near the north pole of the planet.

Here are more pictures, taken by MESSENGER

Picture of the whole planet, taken during a flyby Source: astronomy.com

Northern volcanic plains Source: Johns Hopkins University

Crater Hokusai Source: Wikimedia

Dominici crater and Homer Basin Source: NASA

Crater de Graft Source: NASA

Large composite picture of the surface Source: Astronomy Picture of the Day

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