The MESSENGER mission took this picture on January 14th just after its closest approach to Mercury -about 17,000 miles away. This is the previously unmapped part of the planet that was missed by the Mariner 10 probe, which flew by Mercury three times in 1974 and 1975. NASA says that enhanced and color pictures will follow. http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/news_room/status_report_01_15_08_2.html -via Wired Science
The MESSENGER mission took this picture on January 14th just after its closest approach to Mercury -about 17,000 miles away. This is the previously unmapped part of the planet that was missed by the Mariner 10 probe, which flew by Mercury three times in 1974 and 1975. NASA says that enhanced and color pictures will follow. http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/news_room/status_report_01_15_08_2.html -via Wired Science
But slightly tastier.