Ancestors

Written by Corey S Powell on 2025-01-09 at 17:19

New pics just in from planet Mercury!

Yesterday, the BepiColombo probe made an ultra-close flyby & took images with its monitoring cameras (selfie-cams, basically), so you see the spacecraft in the frame. Next year it will enter orbit around Mercury and begin full science.

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/Top_three_images_from_BepiColombo_s_sixth_Mercury_flyby #space #science #astronomy #nature

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Toot

Written by Corey S Powell on 2025-01-09 at 17:29

This is what BepiColombo was doing very early on Jan 8, while you were sleeping (* depending on your time zone).

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Descendants

Written by Bert Latamore on 2025-01-09 at 17:38

@coreyspowell I do not know about this mission. Thank you for this information. I look forward to more as we learn about Mercury.

Just for kicks, which is larger, Mercury or Pluto?

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Written by Corey S Powell on 2025-01-09 at 20:08

@BertL Mercury is more than twice the diameter of Pluto, and about 25 times as massive (because it is also a lot more dense).

There is a reason why Pluto has been reclassified as a dwarf planet. It really is tiny!

Also, Pluto is part of a whole population of similar objects, whereas Mercury is one of a kind.

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Written by Bert Latamore on 2025-01-14 at 00:38

@coreyspowell

Thanks, Corey.

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