The 'X' on Mercury. And a smiley face. And a Fraggle. Pictures courtesy NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington Source: NASA
The 'Face on Mars' is actually a mesa formation. You can read all about it here / NASA Source: NASA
- Messenger snaps 'X' on Mercury
- Two crater trails, say scientists
- Follow Messenger's mission
AFTER six-and-a-half years and $450m, NASA's Messenger probe has paid its way.
Sent to become the first craft to orbit Mercury - from Earth, anyway - Messenger's successful rendezvous briefly reignited interest in the Sun's nearest neighbour.
Since March 30, it has sent back thousands of images from the surface, but apart from the novelty factor of the first few, most since have only been of interest to the kinds of people who waited six-and-a-half years for them.
So we've seen lots of craters and erosion, but then again, what did we expect from an environment exposed to
Particularly since last night, when the "X on Mercury" became the new "Face on Mars".
The intriguing image above was taken on April 24 and features an "as-yet-unnamed" crater.
With a massive "X marks the spot" through the middle of it.
It's 116km across, but before anyone gets too excited, there is - not surprisingly - a scientific explanation for it.
The MESSENGER scientists say the lines are "secondary crater lines".
What that means is outside the field of view are two impact sites. The criss-crossing lines are made up of mounds of "ejecta" thrown up by whatever struck the planet.
So in reality, it's all just a coincidence, albeit a fascinating one.
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