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The MESSENGER spacecraft’s third flyby of the planet Mercury has given scientists an almost complete view of the planet’s surface and revealed some dramatic changes in Mercury’s comet-like tail.

Nov. 3, 2009: The MESSENGER spacecraft’s third flyby of the planet Mercury has given scientists, for the first time, an almost complete view of the planet’s surface and revealed some dramatic changes in Mercury’s comet-like tail.

“The new images remind us that Mercury continues to hold surprises,” says Sean Solomon, principal investigator for the mission and director of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

The probe flew by Mercury on Sept. 29th, executing a critical gravity assist maneuver designed to help MESSENGER enter Mercury-orbit in 2011.

Source: Nasa Science – click here for full article