Mercury | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/mercury/RSS feed for MercuryenThu, 05 Feb 2026 19:50:41 +0000Scientists Say That Jupiter—the Solar System's Largest Planet—Might Be Slightly Smaller Than Previously Thoughthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-that-jupiter-the-solar-systems-largest-planet-might-be-slightly-smaller-than-previously-thought-180988143/Updated measurements from NASA’s Juno spacecraft could help researchers better understand the planet's mysterious interior, as well as other gas giantsThu, 05 Feb 2026 19:50:41 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-say-that-jupiter-the-solar-systems-largest-planet-might-be-slightly-smaller-than-previously-thought-180988143/Don’t Miss These Ten Celestial Events in 2026, From Aligned Planets to a Total Solar Eclipsehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-miss-these-ten-celestial-events-in-2026-from-aligned-planets-to-a-total-solar-eclipse-180987931/The upcoming year will offer a blood-red moon, spectacular meteor showers and the first glimpse of the sun’s corona since April 2024Tue, 30 Dec 2025 13:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dont-miss-these-ten-celestial-events-in-2026-from-aligned-planets-to-a-total-solar-eclipse-180987931/Study Finds High Levels of Mercury in Hair Samples From Indigenous Women in Peru and Nicaraguahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/study-finds-high-levels-of-mercury-in-hair-samples-from-indigenous-women-in-peru-and-nicaragua-180987498/Small-scale gold mining in the area releases mercury into the environment, where it can make its way into fish and, in turn, humansTue, 14 Oct 2025 17:05:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/study-finds-high-levels-of-mercury-in-hair-samples-from-indigenous-women-in-peru-and-nicaragua-180987498/Scientists Have Never Confirmed a Meteorite From Mercury. Could These Space Rocks From the Desert Be the First?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-have-never-confirmed-a-meteorite-from-mercury-could-these-space-rocks-from-the-desert-be-the-first-180987004/Two meteorites found in the Sahara show tantalizing similarities to the innermost planet, and while researchers say they are likely not direct samples, “one cannot rule out” the ideaThu, 17 Jul 2025 18:45:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-have-never-confirmed-a-meteorite-from-mercury-could-these-space-rocks-from-the-desert-be-the-first-180987004/Seven Planets Will Gather in the Night Sky This Weekend. Here's What to Expect During the Rare Alignmenthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/seven-planets-will-gather-in-the-night-sky-this-weekend-heres-what-to-expect-during-the-rare-alignment-180986134/While such a lineup is uncommon, the event might not look exactly how you’re imagining itThu, 27 Feb 2025 20:54:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/seven-planets-will-gather-in-the-night-sky-this-weekend-heres-what-to-expect-during-the-rare-alignment-180986134/New, Stunning Images of Mercury's North Pole Will Help Scientists Study the Planet's Mysterious Permanent Shadowshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-stunning-images-of-mercurys-north-pole-will-help-scientists-study-the-planets-mysterious-permanent-shadows-180985815/The BepiColombo spacecraft captured the photographs during its last flyby of Mercury, a maneuver necessary to propel the mission into orbit around the planetMon, 13 Jan 2025 22:24:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-stunning-images-of-mercurys-north-pole-will-help-scientists-study-the-planets-mysterious-permanent-shadows-180985815/See New Detailed Photos of Mercury From a Spacecraft's Closest Flyby Yethttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-new-detailed-photos-of-mercury-from-a-spacecrafts-closest-flyby-yet-180985040/BepiColombo, a joint European-Japanese mission, completed its fourth close pass of the innermost planet last week, and it will enter Mercury’s orbit in 2026 to learn more about its mysteriesMon, 09 Sep 2024 19:33:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-new-detailed-photos-of-mercury-from-a-spacecrafts-closest-flyby-yet-180985040/The Seven Most Amazing Discoveries We’ve Made by Exploring Mercuryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-seven-most-amazing-discoveries-weve-made-by-exploring-mercury-180984109/Only two robotic missions have made it to the Swift Planet, but they were crucial for upending many false assumptions of that sun-scorched worldTue, 16 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-seven-most-amazing-discoveries-weve-made-by-exploring-mercury-180984109/A 'Very Rare' Kind of Space Rock Fell in Germany—and Scientists Recovered the Pieceshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-very-rare-kind-of-space-rock-fell-in-germany-and-scientists-recovered-the-pieces-180983778/Analyses revealed the asteroid was an “aubrite,” a classification that applies to only 80 of 70,000 previously found meteorite fragmentsMon, 12 Feb 2024 21:31:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-very-rare-kind-of-space-rock-fell-in-germany-and-scientists-recovered-the-pieces-180983778/How to Watch Five Planets Align in the Night Sky This Weekhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-to-watch-five-planets-align-in-the-night-sky-this-week-180981883/Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will appear as if in a parade in the Western sky on TuesdayMon, 27 Mar 2023 17:40:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-to-watch-five-planets-align-in-the-night-sky-this-week-180981883/