The images revealed details of the temperature and composition of the closest planet to the Sun.
The spacecraft collected new data on Mercury using its Mercury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer, or MERTIS.
It is simply fantastic!
MERTIS data overlaid on a Messenger topographical map of Mercury.Image: MERTIS/DLR/University of Münster & NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
The images show the Basho Crater, an impact crater previously observed by the Mariner 10 and Messenger missions.
In visible light, the crater sticks out as a relatively pronounced pockmark on the planets surface.
Its also visible at mid-infrared wavelengths.
An infographic showing the details of the recent flyby. Graphic: ESA
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An infographic showing the details of the recent flyby. Graphic: ESA
