2023-06-25 14:30:00
Earlier this week, the BepiColombo space probe revealed new images of Mercury. The photos are on official site of the European Space Agency, one of those responsible for the registration, in partnership with the Japanese Agency for Aerospace Exploration.
“Everything went very well with the overflight, and the images from the monitoring cameras taken during the approach phase were transmitted to the ground”, said the operations manager of BepiColombo, Ignacio Clerigo, when mentioning that BepiColombo is preparing to get even closer to the planet, in order to obtain more images.
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In one of the images of Mercury, it is possible to see a large crater newly named Manley, which measures about 220 kilometers wide. The name of the geological formation is a tribute to the Jamaican artist Edna Manley (1900-1987).
“During our imaging planning for the flyby, we realized that this large crater would be in sight, but it didn’t yet have a name,” noted Professor of Planetary Geosciences David Rothery, UK Open University and member of the BepiColombo imaging team. .
According to Rothery, mission scientists have future interests in exploring the crater, as the spacecraft excavated “dark, low-reflectance material”, which may be remnants of the planet’s early carbon-rich crust. “In addition, the bottom of the basin in its interior was flooded with smooth lava, demonstrating Mercury’s long history of volcanic activity,” explained the professor.
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