The planet Mercury was named after Hermes in Greek mythology since it revolves around the Sun in just 88 days. As it revolves around the Sun, Mercury experiences dramatic temperature changes as the side facing the star is baked and the other side faces the frigid cold outer space. . Recent data gathered by the MESSENGER revealed that the planet contains several gravity anomalies near its surface (bottom right - red). This is exemplified by the Picasso crater (bottom right) which contains an arc shaped pit on its eastern side. This suggests that magma might have flowed very close to the surface and the pit could have formed when the lava cooled. . Thus, parts of Mercury could have lava tubes similar to our Moon. . What do you think about possible lava tubes on Mercury? Do you think they could be sites of future colonization? Leave a comment. . Credit: NASA/JHU/CIW / public domain, Hinode/JAXA/NASA / public domain, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/JHU/CIW / public domain and HGoltzius (1558-1617) / public domain. . #nasa🚀 #science #universe #planetmercury #nasamessenger #space #solarsystem #gravity #spacecraft #hermes #greekmythology #milkywaygalaxy #stars #thesun #planets https://www.instagram.com/p/ByDbs6nh6dF/?igshid=10bz88d8vbepp