Photo: Tiny Mercury Had Huge Volcanic Eruptions, Probe Finds

Email to a Friend << Back to Full Story


Combined images show Mercury as it might appear to the human eye (left) and in false color (right) to better show the planet's mineral composition.

The images are among those taken during an October 6, 2008, flyby of the solar system's smallest planet. Among other things, the new pictures show that tiny Mercury experienced an unusually large amount of volcanic activity in its past.

Image courtesy NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

MOST VIEWED NEWS

PICTURES: 2012 Doomsday Myths Debunked

2012: Six End-of-the-World Myths Debunked

APOCALYPSE PICTURES: 10 Failed Doomsday Prophecies
NEWS FEEDS    After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed. After installing a news reader, click on this icon to download National Geographic News's XML/RSS feed.

Get our news delivered directly to your desktop—free.
How to Use XML or RSS

ADVERTISEMENT

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today's National Geographic Photo of the Day

• Today's Photo

• Download as Wallpaper

50 Drives of a Lifetime

National Geographic Traveler has scoured the globe for the world's most beautiful, interesting, and off-beat road trips. Dive in to get drive directions, quizzes, photos, and more.