What's Blue, Yellow, and Hot?
October 29, 2008 4:33 PM   Subscribe

Messenger has just made another flyover of Mercury, revealing hidden features. Watch the animation to see the blue volcanoes.
posted by Xurando (24 comments total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
Phil Plait has the dl. This is not how Mercury actually appears to the naked eye, though i am sure everyone realizes this, maybe not.
posted by IvoShandor at 4:36 PM on October 29, 2008


IvoShandor do not kill my blue mercury buzz. thank you
posted by nax at 4:41 PM on October 29, 2008 [1 favorite]


Yeah, I'm happily chilling to the blueness here while coming down off my mad Steampunk hate-circuit buzz.
posted by Artw at 4:46 PM on October 29, 2008


Damn, the 8 planet strategy is really paying off. Kudos, Obama!
posted by DU at 4:49 PM on October 29, 2008 [1 favorite]


YOU FORGOT PLUTO!
posted by Artw at 4:50 PM on October 29, 2008 [6 favorites]


Am I blue?
Am I blue?
A second fly by
Up in my sky
Should tell you.
posted by Astro Zombie at 4:56 PM on October 29, 2008


Blue Volcano Blues

I'm like a blue volcano,
just as blue as I can be
I'm like a blue volcano babe,
just as blue as I can be
So blue they oughtta send me
to the planet Mercury

My baby surfs the internet,
she looks at planetary views
Yeah my baby surfs the internet,
she looks at planetary views
In space no one can hear you scream
and she can't hear me sing these blues

I'm leaving in the morning,
I'm gonna find a better place
I said I'm leaving in the morning,
I'm gonna find a better place
Gonna find myself a new gal
Somewhere out in outer space
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:58 PM on October 29, 2008


I find it interesting that the quicktime movie works almost as a panorama; you can move the slider back and forth and view the picture however you like.
posted by sonic meat machine at 5:11 PM on October 29, 2008


If I understood the article correctly, they enhanced Mercury's true color spectrum for geological purposes because "color differences on the surface are slight." Shame they blue volcanoes aren't actually real, but this is pretty cool stuff nonetheless.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 5:17 PM on October 29, 2008


Why do I have a sudden urge to play Xevious?
posted by gwint at 5:21 PM on October 29, 2008 [2 favorites]


I wonder if Richard Hoagland will spot the giant worm at the end of that video
posted by titboy at 5:56 PM on October 29, 2008


Actually that's false color. Mercury actually looks a lot like this more realistic false color photo here.
posted by damn dirty ape at 6:28 PM on October 29, 2008


I don't know, I always thought Mercury looked good in blue.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:49 PM on October 29, 2008 [1 favorite]


I'm crazy 'bout a Mercury
I'm crazy 'bout a Mercury
I'm gonna fly me to Mercury and cruise the blue volcanos
posted by bwg at 7:04 PM on October 29, 2008 [1 favorite]


This is cool.
posted by nola at 7:28 PM on October 29, 2008


neato.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 7:30 PM on October 29, 2008


blue volcanoes

In that video, it seems like the bigger the impact crater, the more it is worn and overwritten by smaller craters. I guess everything really was more impressive back in the day.
posted by StickyCarpet at 8:43 PM on October 29, 2008


Very lovely. Thanks! (And my goodness. The Obamanauts have been very busy indeed....)
posted by Kronos_to_Earth at 8:57 PM on October 29, 2008


We need a pluto probe. We can't even get good shots of it here on earth.
posted by delmoi at 9:40 PM on October 29, 2008


Shh. Do you want to end up in a brain cannister?
posted by Artw at 9:46 PM on October 29, 2008


In that video, it seems like the bigger the impact crater, the more it is worn and overwritten by smaller craters. I guess everything really was more impressive back in the day.

I don't remember the age of mercury but I do know it's very similar to the moon, which had severe asteroid impact until about 4 billion years ago when most asteroids/meteoroids got swept up by the planets.
posted by puke & cry at 10:50 PM on October 29, 2008


We need a pluto probe. We can't even get good shots of it here on earth.

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/

Don't fret, it'll be there in 2015. :)

Assuming we are still around
posted by sir_rubixalot at 11:43 PM on October 29, 2008


Cool. If you see plateaus instead of craters in the animation, tilt your head to the right. The brain likes things lit from above.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 12:59 AM on October 30, 2008


We need a pluto probe

Let's probe Uranus too. Thank you, I'm here all week.
posted by rhymer at 6:20 AM on October 30, 2008


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