By KPC Reporter
New, stunning images of Mercury’s North Pole may help scientists study the planet’s mysterious permanent shadows, according to a story published in an international magazine.
The Smithsonian reports that BepiColombo spacecraft captured the photographs during its last flyby of Mercury.
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The maneuver is necessary to propel the mission into orbit around the planet.
Craters at Mercury’s poles contain permanently shadowed areas that are some of the coldest sites in the solar system, despite their proximity to the sun.
The BepiColombo spacecraft is a joint endeavor between the European and Japanese space agencies.
It snapped stunning photographs of Mercury’s north pole during its recent flyby of the innermost planet.
The images, which reveal the depths of Mercury’s iconic polar craters, were captured by the craft’s monitoring cameras (M-CAMs) on January 8.
European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher revealed the first image during a press briefing the next day.
Here is the link to the full story:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-stunning-images-of-mercurys-north-pole-will-help-scientists-study-the-planets-mysterious-permanent-shadows-180985815/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&spMailingID=50604557&spUserID=MTE2NDAyNjkzNjg0NQS2&spJobID=2861375138&spReportId=Mjg2MTM3NTEzOAS2
