Cosma / Communication / Knowledge / Realm / Physical / Universe / Solar System / Terrestrial/ Mercury
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Introduction1
MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) was the first spacecraft to visit Mercury in 30 years, and the first ever to orbit, MESSENGER mapped the entire planet, discovered abundant water ice in shadows at the poles, and unlocked knowledge about Mercury’s geology and magnetic field.– MESSENGER (NASA Science)
NASASolarSystem (YouTube Channel)
Solar System Exploration (NASA Science, Official Website)
Dictionary
Mercury : the planet nearest the sun — Merriam-Webster See also OneLook
Encyclopedia
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits. Mercury is bright when viewed from Earth, ranging from −2.3 to 5.7 in apparent magnitude, but is not easily seen as its greatest angular separation from the Sun is only 28.3°. Since Mercury is normally lost in the glare of the Sun, unless there is a solar eclipse it can be viewed from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere only in morning or evening twilight, while its extreme elongations occur in declinations south of the celestial equator, such that it can be seen at favorable apparitions from moderate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere in a fully dark sky. — Wikipedia
Mercury (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Mercury (COSMOS: The SAO Encyclopedia of Astronomy)
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Inspiration
NASA’s Eyes is a freely available suite of computer visualization applications created by the Visualization Technology Applications and Development Team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to render scientifically accurate views of the planets studied by JPL missions and the spacecraft used in that study. — Wikipedia
Mercury (NASA’s Eyes, NASA’s JPL & Cal Tech)
Solar System Treks are online, browser-based portals that allow you to visualize, explore, and analyze the surfaces of other worlds using real data returned from a growing fleet of spacecraft. You can view the worlds through the eyes of many different instruments, pilot real-time 3D flyovers above mountains and into craters, and conduct measurements of surface features. Mercury Trek showcases data collected by NASA MESSENGER spacecraft which was launched in 2004. — Mercury Trek (Solar System Treks, NASA)
Mercury Trek (Solar System Treks, NASA)
Mercury (Astrum, YouTube Playlist)
Articles about Mercury (Big Think)
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Innovation
Science
Planet Mercury Explained in 10 Minutes (Astrum, YouTube Video)
What’s It Like On Mercury? (SciShow Space, YouTube Video)
Why Does It Take So Long to Get to Mercury? (SciShow Space, YouTube Video)
Mercury, World of Extremes (Planetary Society)
Mercury (Eric Weisstein’s World of Astronomy, Wolfram Research)
Mercury (Wolfram Alpha)
Technology
BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the planet Mercury. The mission comprises two satellites launched together: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and Mio (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, MMO). The mission will perform a comprehensive study of Mercury, including characterization of its magnetic field, magnetosphere, and both interior and surface structure. It was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket on 20 October 2018 at 01:45 UTC, with an arrival at Mercury planned for on 5 December 2025, after a flyby of Earth, two flybys of Venus, and six flybys of Mercury. — Wikipedia
European Space Agency (YouTube Channel)
European Space Agency (Official Website)
About Mercury Exploration Mission “BepiColombo” (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
BepiColombo (ESA)
BepiColombo (NASA Science)
BepiColombo (Planetary Society)
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Preservation
History
7 Important Dates in Mercury History (Erik Gregersen, Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Mercury: Exploration (NASA Science)
Library
DDC: 523.41 Mercury (Library Thing)
Subject: Mercury (Library Thing)
Subject: Mercury (Open Library)
LCC: QB 611 Mercury (UPenn Online Books)
LCC: QB 611 Mercury (Library of Congress)
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Participation
Education
Mercury – Level 1 (StarChild, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA)
Mercury – Level 2 (StarChild, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA)
All About Mercury (Space Place, NASA)
Mercury (Cosmos4Kids)
Mercury (CrashCourse Astronomy, YouTube Video)
MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching
OER Commons: Open Educational Resources
Community
Organization
Mercury and Venus Section (British Astronomical Association)
News
Mercury (Nova Research Highlights, American Astronomical Society)
Mercury (Astronomy Magazine)
Planet Mercury (JSTOR)
Mercury (Science Daily)
Recent News from Science Daily …
- NASA’s Roman Space Telescope launches to reveal...on August 31, 2026 at 9:23 am
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope has launched on a million mile journey to L2, where it will scan huge portions of the cosmos for clues about dark matter, dark energy, and distant worlds. With survey speeds roughly 1,000 times faster than Hubble and a torrent of 1.4 terabytes of data per day, Roman could uncover cosmic surprises astronomers have never seen before.
- A SpaceX rocket smashed into the Moon — NASA...on August 20, 2026 at 7:10 am
A discarded SpaceX Falcon 9 stage crashed into the Moon on Aug. 5, leaving behind a newly formed crater about 60 feet wide. NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured detailed images showing bright and dark streaks of debris blasted across the surrounding surface. The impact even exposed fresh material buried beneath the Moon’s weathered exterior.
- NASA’s moon base is taking shape with 20+ lunar...on August 11, 2026 at 4:22 am
NASA is assembling the foundations of a future Moon Base through a wave of robotic missions and powerful new commercial landers. More than 20 landings are planned through 2029, testing everything from precision landings and lunar communications to rovers, power systems, and technology that can survive the Moon’s extreme conditions. Upcoming missions could also make history by exploring the Moon’s far side and a mysterious magnetic lunar swirl. Each landing brings NASA closer to a sustained […]
- NASA’s Psyche spacecraft aces Mars flyby...on July 28, 2026 at 6:21 am
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft aced its Mars flyby, using the planet’s gravity to speed toward its 2029 encounter with a metal-rich asteroid. The spacecraft tested its cameras, magnetometer, and particle-detecting instruments, capturing unusual views of Mars and measuring its magnetic environment. It also detected neutrons from the planet and spotted the tiny moons Phobos and Deimos.
- After 241 days in orbit this NASA astronaut is...on July 27, 2026 at 8:06 am
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two Roscosmos cosmonauts are back on Earth after spending 241 days aboard the International Space Station. Their journey covered more than 102 million miles and included 3,856 trips around the planet.
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Related
Here are links to pages about closely related subjects.
“Fundamentals”
Law (Constant) Relativity
Force Gravity, Electromagnetism (Light, Color)
Matter (Microscope) Molecule, Atom (Periodic Table), Particle
“Space”
Universe (Astronomical Instrument)
Galaxy Milky Way, Andromeda
Planetary System Star, Brown Dwarf, Planet, Moon
Our Neighborhood
Solar System Sun
Terrestrial Planet Mercury, Venus, Earth (Moon), Mars
Asteroid Belt Ceres, Vesta
Jovian Planet Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Trans-Neptunian Object
Kuiper Belt Pluto, Haumea, Makemake
Scattered Disc Eris, Sedna, Planet X
Oort Cloud Etc. Scholz’s Star
Small Body Comet, Centaur, Asteroid
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Notes
1. The resources on this page are are organized by a classification scheme developed exclusively for Cosma.