From the MESSENGER space craft comes this stunning image of Mercury, coloured by the mineral, chemical, and physical features of the land which, for the most part, escape the human eye. The Coloris Basin, an indent from a comet or asteriod from the early years of the solar system, is the prominent tan circle in the upper right. The basin, long ago, was filled with lava, its formation similar to that of a lunar marina. The blue and white regions are from more recent impacts, the rays of the remanents emitting the odd colour.
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