Our solar system, a locus of fascination throughout human history, begrudgingly reveals its mysteries. Today's NASA release of the first image taken of Mercury's surface by an orbiting spacecraft is a splendid milestone for our understanding of the fiery planet. (The initial NASA announcement of the spacecraft's successful orbiting of Mercury is a useful, brief background piece.)NASA will be releasing more photos in the coming days. I'm looking forward to seeing them, even if they're more images of cratered surfaces.
When one thinks about the subject, it is astonishing that a transmission can be accurately delivered through light years of space, accurately recomposed on Earth, and instantly shared with the world via the Internet. The ancients, who had powerful intellectual capabilities, could not have imagined such a trio of accomplishments. However, they would have appreciated the exploration of the planets. Just about any civilization that could look into the sky has used planetary orbits and relationships as a basis for their deepest thoughts. What's amazing is their ability to have very accurately measured planetary appearances and movements without the aid of instruments, such as telescopes. It did take brains, and thinkers from antiquity had that in abundance.
In a way, the NASA scientists have kept faith with what the ancients so deeply desired. Both groups used the sky's phenomena to unlock profound ways of thinking, delivered through astronomically based intellectual tools such as geometry. You can leverage the sky as well. Best thing about the sky is that it remains free, and free of charge.
The image shows the Messenger Moi spacecraft which is currently orbiting Mercury.
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