Mercury Up Close
MESSENGER’s mission came to a crashing end yesterday, April 30, on the surface of Mercury, but during its 11 year mission it took the best images of the inner-most planet we’ve seen. This is an enhanced-color mosaic of the Caloris basin, which has been flooded by lava, seen in orange here.
![PIA19216.jpg](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/wcJlfHRtlAMjMEIEbLkNY9Iir9A=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/f7/c2/f7c2b7d9-ef33-4472-b2a9-afc09e0f97c5/pia19216.jpg)