Scientists have determined that Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, may contain a 10-mile thick mantle layer of diamonds based on data from NASA’s MESSENGER space probe, Space.com reported.

Flying 295 km above Mercury, it photographed icy craters, volcanic plains, and the planet's largest impact crater. Mercury reflects two-thirds less light than Earth's Moon, making its surface ...

Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is a world of extremes and unanswered questions. Though it resembles the Moon with its cratered surface, Mercury is far from ordinary. It’s the smallest planet ...

On October 6, 2008, the probe flew by Mercury for the second time, capturing more than 1,200 high-resolution and color images of the planet unveiling another 30 percent of Mercury’s surface that ...

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and the smallest planet in our solar system. With a diameter of about 3,032 miles (4,880 kilometers), Mercury is less than half the size of Earth, which is ...

From this close distance, BepiColombo captured images of Mercury’s cratered surface, starting with the planet’s cold, permanently dark night side near the north pole before moving toward its ...

The BepiColombo spacecraft flew past Mercury for the fifth time last week, revealing the planet in mid-infrared light for the first time. The images revealed details of the temperature and ...

The planet Mercury could have a layer of diamonds up to 18 kilometers, or 11 miles, thick, tucked below is surface, scientists say.

In 2011, the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) spacecraft passed the planet, confirming the presence of water ice within the polar craters on that world.

The spacecraft’s recent flyby comes eight months after its first one, which took it to within 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) of Mercury’s surface. A further four flybys are planned, with the ...

Mercury — a planet with a surface hot enough to melt lead — might once have contained ingredients needed for life. Though that’s a pretty big might. The new theory, published last week in ...