Visit the inner planet of the solar system

On the morning of January 14, Messenger - the first ship to visit Mercury for more than 30 years - has just passed this tiny planet at a distance of only 200 km. A

Mercury - the planet closest to the sun - is dense, about two-thirds of its mass is composed of iron-metal components.It lies near the sun to the equator day and night temperature difference of about 600 degrees C. (Photo: BBC)

This is also the first ship visit of Messenger in the next 3 flights, before going into the fund around Mercury in 2011.

The probe is responsible for collecting more than 1,300 photos and performing other observations during the flight to the planet.

So far, no ship has observed Mercury any closer than that, ever since the Mariner 10 performed the last crossover in March 1975.

The goal of Messenger is to understand the surface, internal structure, magnetic field and the planet's atmosphere that is closest to the sun. Through it, one can better understand the formation of four planets made of rock in the solar system (including Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars).

Messenger has gone halfway through the planned 7-year journey into the inner region of the solar system.

Messenger must have a shield to protect its devices when flying to Mercury too close to the sun.(Photo: BBC)

T. An