Japan’s space mission in Europe captures image of Mercury

A Euro-Japan space mission seeking to learn more about Mercury got its first glimpse of the planet Friday night when a European spacecraft took pictures of it from more than 2,400 km away.

“Hello, Mercury! This beautiful view was taken from Mercury’s northern hemisphere ESA_MTM After about 10 minutes # Mercury Approaching close range, from a distance of 2,420 km,” the mission with BepiColombo tweeted on Saturday morning. The tweet mentions the European Space Agency’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter, which captured the image.

Halo Mercury!

This stunning view was taken from Mercury’s northern hemisphere ESA_MTM After about 10 minutes # Mercury Approaching distance of 2420 km. https://t.co/jjGKrsQXDH#Explore Further pic.twitter.com/EMhMJ5tKiN

– Bepi (ESA_Bepi) October 2, 2021

The photo was taken at approximately 23:44 UTC (or 7:44 PM ET). Just 10 minutes ago, the spacecraft was less than 200 kilometers from the planet. European Space Agency taper It was the planet’s first gravity-assisted maneuver.

The first impression is more remarkable than #Mercury As we did first # Mercury the last night. I can’t wait for more data on this truly beautiful planet, and I hope you enjoy this postcard as much as I did then!https://t.co/GnWRupanhA#Explore Further pic.twitter.com/dM1Vd5tSY3

– Bepi (ESA_Bepi) October 2, 2021

The mission, which includes the European Space Agency’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Japan Space Exploration Giant Magnetosphere Orbiter, launched in October 2018 to study Mercury’s evolution and origin and will examine the planet’s magnetic field, exosphere, and ground-surface processes.

Mission is also looking for To find out if there is water on Mercury, why it has a magnetic field and whether the planet is alive or dead.

The total process is expected to take seven years and include a flyby of Earth, two years on Venus and six on Mercury, according to the European Space Agency.

Scientists predict the spacecraft will reach Mercury on December 5, 2025.

The mission is named after Giuseppe “Pepe” Colombo, the Italian mathematician and engineer, whose calculations helped inspire an earlier orbit around Mercury.

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