New Mercury Images Uncover the Solar System's Coldest Region

Science & Technology Science

Posted by admin on 2025-01-10 10:33:55 |

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The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission captured a series of remarkable images during its final flyby of Mercury on January 8, 2025. The spacecraft, conducting its sixth gravity assist maneuver, passed just 295 km above the planet’s surface, offering an extraordinary view of Mercury’s shadowy north pole craters.

One image, taken at 07:07 CET using the spacecraft's monitoring camera (M-CAM 1), reveals the stark divide between Mercury’s Day and night sides along its terminator. Illuminated crater rims, including Prokofiev, Kandinsky, Tolkien, and Gordimer, are visible. Their permanently shadowed floors, caused by Mercury’s nearly perpendicular spin axis, rank among the coldest locations in the Solar System despite the planet’s proximity to the Sun. These dark craters may even contain frozen water, a key mystery BepiColombo will explore during its orbital mission.

The volcanic plains of Borealis Planitia are also visible, showcasing vast smooth plains formed by ancient lava flows over 3.7 billion years ago. These plains, along with the flooded craters Henri and Lismer, and the wrinkle ridges shaped by Mercury’s cooling interior, highlight the planet’s dynamic geological history.

The volume of lava in Borealis Planitia is comparable to Earth's mass extinction-level volcanic events, such as the Permian extinction 252 million years ago.

Foreground details in the image include BepiColombo’s solar array and parts of its Mercury Transfer Module, emphasizing the spacecraft’s instrumental role in unraveling the secrets of this enigmatic planet.

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