Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, shines brightly in this colourful basemap from our Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft, the first spacecraft to orbit the planet. This image of Mercury was developed to show the chemical, mineralogical and physical differences on Mercury's surface. Young craters appear light blue, highly fluid lavas are tan and a dark, rich, opaque mineral appears darker blue.

Launched in 2004, the MESSENGER spacecraft helped expand our understanding of Mercury's evolution and history, showing that water, ice and organic compounds exist in the planet's north and that volcanoes continue to reshape its surface.

Image description:

Mercury appears bright against the darkness of space, in tan, light blue and dark blue colours, showing the geographical features of the volcanic surface.