Today at 2:04:39 EST, MESSENGER will fly 200 km (124 miles) above Mercury’s surface. While speeding toward the planet, the Narrow Angle Camera, part of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS), acquired this close-up crescent view of the planet on 13 January when the spacecraft was about 760,000 km (470,000 miles) from Mercury.

During today’s historic encounter, extensive scientific data will be gathered, including more than 1,200 images taken by the MDIS cameras of the surface of Mercury—some never seen by a spacecraft.

The news of MESSENGER’s first flyby of Mercury continues to be covered in various media outlets, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, the New Scientist, and Science Daily. For the most recent press coverage, see Google News. For information on the flyby, including news and images as they become available, see the MESSENGER Web site.