A British-built spacecraft has started a seven-year journey to Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun. Mercury, the least explored planet in the solar system, is a place of tantalising mysteries. A leading theory is that early in its history a mighty collision with another object blew away much of Mercury’s mantle, leaving a small planet with a big heart. – Nasa’s Messenger mission to Mercury discovered odd features called “hollows” – shallow irregular features that seem unique to the planet. Studying how this may have occurred will shed new light on the evolution of our solar system.

Source: Irish Examiner October 20, 2018 13:52 UTC