NASA's Messenger space probe finally sent back its first high-res images of Mercury's dark side, and they're surprisingly sparkling. Mercury's dark side is actually "illuminated obliquely" by the sun. Messenger is giving us our first real view of Mercury's Caloris basin, and may help to solve mysteries like why Mercury has a magnetic field when Venus and Mars don't, and what lurks in its shaded polar regions. Click through for the full image.
DISCUSSION
@MasterOfPastures:
Ditto. There must be something on one of these planets that isn't just rock or gas...just...something more, or something surprising.
I suppose i should probably look into it actually, but i often wonder why every other solid planet/moon in the solar system is pockmarked to shit with craters, yet we seem to be remarkably less so. they have moons too. what gives?
Nice picture.