The BepiColombo spacecraft is launched on an Ariane 5 rocket to study Mercury.

Mercury is the first planet from the Sun and the smallest in the Solar System. It is a rocky planet with a trace atmosphere and a surface gravity slightly lower than that of Mars. The surface of Mercury is similar to Earth's Moon, being cratered, with an expansive rupes system generated from thrust faults, and bright ray systems, formed by ejecta.

Its largest crater, Caloris Planitia, has a diameter of 1,550 km (960 mi), which is about one-third the diameter of the planet. Being the most inferior orbiting planet, it always appears close to the Sun in Earth's sky, as either a "morning star" or an "evening star". It is the planet with the highest delta-v required for travel from Earth, as well as to and from the other planets in the Solar System.

Mercury in true color
Mercury in true color (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Terrestrial planet size comp 2024
Terrestrial planet size comp 2024 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Mercury render with Blender 01
Mercury render with Blender 01 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Mercury render with Blender 02
Mercury render with Blender 02 (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Watch: Mercury: The Scorched Planet | The Planets | Earth Science

From the BBC Earth Science channel.

Sources and further reading: Wikipedia — Mercury (planet), BepiColombo, Ariane flight VA245, Ariane 5 (CC BY-SA). Images: Wikimedia Commons.