Mercury is the first planet from the Sun and the smallest in the Solar System. In English, it is named after the ancient Roman god Mercurius (Mercury), god of commerce and communication, and the messenger of the gods. Mercury is classified as a terrestrial planet, with roughly the same surface gravity as Mars. The surface of Mercury is heavily cratered, as a result of countless impact events that have accumulated over billions of years. Its largest crater, Caloris Planitia, has a diameter of 1,550 km (960 mi), which is about one-third the diameter of the planet. Similarly to the Earth's Moon, Mercury's surface displays an expansive rupes system generated from thrust faults and bright ray systems formed by impact event remnants.
Budh Planitia is a large plain on Mercury. It lies to the east of Odin Planitia. It falls within the Tolstoj quadrangle. It was named after the Hindu word for Mercury, Budha, in 1976. The region was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Sobkou Planitia is a large basin on the planet Mercury. It is named after the ancient Egyptian messenger deity Sobkou. He was associated by the Egyptians with the planet Mercury.
The Michelangelo quadrangle is in the southern hemisphere of the planet Mercury, where the imaged part is heavily cratered terrain that has been strongly influenced by the presence of multiring basins. At least four such basins, now nearly obliterated, have largely controlled the distribution of plains materials and structural trends in the map area. Many craters, interpreted to be of impact origin, display a spectrum of modification styles and degradation states. The interaction between basins, craters, and plains in this quadrangle provides important clues to geologic processes that have formed the morphology of the mercurian surface.
Boethius is a crater on the planet Mercury. It was named after Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, the Roman philosopher, by the IAU in 1976. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Shakespeare is a 370 km diameter impact basin in the Shakespeare quadrangle of Mercury, which is named after this crater. It is located at 48.1°N, 152.3°W and is named after playwright William Shakespeare. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Sullivan is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976, and is named for the American architect Louis Sullivan. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Vyāsa is a crater on Mercury. It was named by the IAU in 1979, after the Indian poet Vyasa. It is Tolstojan in age.
Raphael is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976, and is named for the Italian painter Raphael. It is Tolstojan in age. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Bashō is a crater on Mercury named after Matsuo Bashō, a 17th-century Japanese writer. Bashō crater is only 74.62 kilometers (46.37 mi) in diameter, but is a prominent feature on Mercury's surface, due to its bright rays. Photographs from NASA's Mariner 10 and MESSENGER spacecraft show a curious halo of dark material around the crater. The dark material is typically referred to as low-reflectance material (LRM) and there is evidence that it is caused by graphite.
Polygnotus is a crater on Mercury, named by the IAU in 1976, after ancient Greek painter Polygnotus. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Balzac is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Balzac is named for the French writer Honoré de Balzac, who lived from 1799 to 1850. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Brahms is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 100 kilometers. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1979. Brahms is named for the German composer Johannes Brahms, who lived from 1833 to 1897. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Futabatei is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 57 kilometers. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Futabatei is named for the Japanese novelist Futabatei Shimei, who lived from 1864 to 1909. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Machaut is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Machaut is named for the French composer and poet Guillaume de Machaut, who lived from 1300 to 1377. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Mussorgskij is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1979. Mussorgskij is named for the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, who lived from 1839 to 1881. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Nizāmī is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1979. Nizami is named for the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, who lived from 1141 to 1209.
Phidias is a crater on Mercury. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 1976. Phidias is named for the Greek artist Phidias, who lived from 490 to 430 BCE. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
Flaiano is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 43 kilometres. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on March 15, 2013. Flaiano is named for the Italian writer Ennio Flaiano. The crater was first imaged by Mariner 10 in 1974.
