Subj : Daily APOD Report
To   : All
From : Alan Ianson
Date : Tue Jun 28 2022 00:18:42

                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2022 June 28

                      Mercury from Passing BepiColombo
             Image Credit & License: ESA, JAXA, BepiColombo, MTM

   Explanation: Which part of the Moon is this? No part -- because this is
   the planet Mercury. Mercury's old surface is heavily cratered like that
   of Earth's Moon. Mercury, while only slightly larger than Luna, is much
   denser and more massive than any Solar System moon because it is made
   mostly of iron. In fact, our Earth is the only planet more dense.
   Because Mercury rotates exactly three times for every two orbits around
   the Sun, and because Mercury's orbit is so elliptical, visitors on
   Mercury could see the Sun rise, stop in the sky, go back toward the
   rising horizon, stop again, and then set quickly over the other
   horizon. From Earth, Mercury's proximity to the Sun causes it to be
   visible only for a short time just after sunset or just before sunrise.
   The featured image was captured last week by ESA and JAXA's passing
   BepiColombo spacecraft as it sheds energy and prepares to orbit the
   innermost planet starting in 2025.

              Tomorrow's picture: solar system family portrait
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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