Watch Mercury Get Smacked By CMEs

The bright object in the center of this video sequence is the planet Mercury, seen by NASA’s STEREO-B spacecraft as it was pummeled by wave after wave of solar material ejected from the Sun during the week of March 25 – April 2, 2012.

The video above was released by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center earlier today. The Sun is located just off-frame to the left, while Earth would be millions of miles to the right.

Proof that it’s not easy being first rock from the Sun!

Video credit: NASA/GSFC/STEREO

Jason Major

A graphic designer in Rhode Island, Jason writes about space exploration on his blog Lights In The Dark, Discovery News, and, of course, here on Universe Today. Ad astra!

Recent Posts

New Study Examines Cosmic Expansion, Leading to a New Drake Equation

In 1960, in preparation for the first SETI conference, Cornell astronomer Frank Drake formulated an…

2 hours ago

Pentagon’s Latest UFO Report Identifies Hotspots for Sightings

The Pentagon office in charge of fielding UFO reports says that it has resolved 118…

2 hours ago

A New Way to Detect Daisy Worlds

The Daisy World model describes a hypothetical planet that self-regulates, maintaining a delicate balance involving…

3 hours ago

Two Supermassive Black Holes on the Verge of a Merger

Researchers have been keeping an eye on the center of a galaxy located about a…

5 hours ago

Interferometry Will Be the Key to Resolving Exoplanets

When it comes to telescopes, bigger really is better. A larger telescope brings with it…

7 hours ago

A New Mission To Pluto Could Answer the Questions Raised by New Horizons

Pluto may have been downgraded from full-planet status, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hold…

7 hours ago