New Images of Mercury Show Speckled Surface in Sharp Detail

You have been granted access, use your keyboard to continue reading. The BepiColombo spacecraft approached Mercury this week, sending back images of the least-studied rocky planet in the solar system. Tap the Play button at the top of any article to hear it read aloud. BepiColombo, a joint European-Japanese mission, completed its latest flyby of Mercury, sending back a sneak peek of the cratered planet it will begin to orbit in 2026. On Thursday, a spacecraft operated by the European Space Agency and Japan made its closest approach yet to...