NASA Scientists’ Stunning Discoveries on Planet Mercury | Ray Systems | MESSENGER Images Part 1

NASA's MESSENGER probes greatest images of Mercury's surface.

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When something is as incredibly difficult to get to as Mercury, it is extremely tricky to study. Which is one of the reasons why in all of human history, there have only ever been 2 missions to Mercury, with just one more on the way. Mariner 10 in 1974, MESSENGER in 2011 and BepiColombo due to arrive in 2025. Of these prior two missions, only MESSENGER went into orbit around Mercury, and so it is the only mission to ever give us close up shots of Mercury’s surface. And crazily enough, some of the formations we’ve seen on the surface are still unsolved mysteries even more than a decade on, while other formations give us hints at the raw primal power of the early solar system.

[tommunyon]

In 1962 my best friend and I volunteered to assemble some solar system mobile kits for our 6th grade teacher. We were well aware at the time that the respective proportions and features of the planets were crude, at best. But the project really did fire up our imaginations as to what the planets really looked like in reality. It is so wonderful all these decades hence to see what has been discovered.

[chrismccabe]

i never thought of it much, but i have to say i was curious about why some impact craters looked the way they do. now i know thanks to this channel.

[bropellerjohnson]

Can’t wait to see the images that will come out on James Webb telescope. Truly a great time to be alive.

[SardonicDog]

Clearly one of the best channels on YouTube. Thank you.

[ChrisDIYerOklahoma]

Technology is amazing. I was in college 35 years ago...we didn't have the Internet, YouTube, cell phones, and the other billion gadgets we have now. Watching this 12 mins video in 1080p60 is just mind blowing. Thanks

[stefano]

Alas, why we humans don't focus on exploration and making our life better, instead of waging wars and killing each other with animal fury! It is the wild part of humans who declares war, and the good ones have to pay for their craziness. I celebrate any non-military application of technology and discovery, and I thank you Alex for your peaceful and wonderful videos!

[AlexXxtestify]

Ever since I read I, Robot I have been in love with the surface of Mercury. Really just alien planets in general. The way Asimov's explains the surface e of Mercury really shows how truly alien it would be.

[JohnnyNiteTrain]

I love how, instead of just expecting people to like & subscribe by telling them to, he says “and I hope by the end of this episode to have earned your like and subscription.” What a class act. 👍🏼👍🏼

[freddyjosereginomontalvo]

Awesome channel with awesome content and great quality as always 🌍💯💖

[susanbird]

I absolutely love your channel. I have been an amateur astrologist for my entire life and I questioned the splattered rays of Mercury’s surface. I do have to say that I had the same idea as the students because there has always been an assortment of ray sizes so it only made sense that the surface was not smooth when impact occurred. It is nice to know that I was somewhat on the same thought path. Thank you for all the hard work you put into your videos. I will always be an avid fan.

[timmoore]

Astrum is 50 times better than Discovery Chanel.

[kentd]

Loved hearing how Mercury has to "body block" objects from going past (towards the Sun), rather than capturing them in orbit--with its relatively miniscule gravity.

[LordZordid]

"Which is one of the reasons why in all of human history, there have only ever been 2 missions to Mercury, with just one more on the way". That sounds unintentionally ominous.

[InfectedChris]

I love the many mysteries of Mercury. So close, yet so hard to observe!

[daryleldridge]

Excellent video Alex, Mercury is awsome looking place....

[obieldenook]

Loved the video. Mercury is a fascinating place. I can't wait to learn more about the universe and beyond.

[gadkinson]

Mercury is the ultimate shipyard planet

[vincejohnm]

Great video. I’ve seen a bunch of speculation about the Pantheon Fossae and I would like to add my own. Given Mercury’s proximity to the sun and the large number of objects that have struck its surface, is there a possibility that a very large object had a near miss? Such a large object could exert tremendous tidal forces on Mercury’s surface, perhaps causing the unexplained buckling. It’s just a hypothesis but I imagine modern computer modeling could test it.

[dylanselden]

I've learned more from Alex than I have my astronomy class in college.

[phatpat]

Scientist not being able to figure out impact rays perfectly illustrates the problem with technocrats without any real-world experience.

btw, I'm sure the fact that impactors generally wouldn't be perfectly smooth spheres plays just as much of a role.