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Mercury

Mercury
Mercury MESSENGER took this approximate true-color photo of Mercury using its wide-angle camera as it departed from its October 6, 2008 flyby of Mercury. About half of the illuminated area -- the right (east) side of this image -- had not before been seen by spacecraft. The bright splash just below center is the fresh crater Kuiper. Another fresh crater near the north pole (top right) has produced an enormous system of rays that stretches nearly around the planet, converging toward the south pole. NASA / JPL-Caltech / CIW