<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MESSENGER" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MESSENGER</a> probe was able to take many true-color pictures of Mercury. A full list can be found on <a href="http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/targetFamily/Mercury" rel="nofollow noreferrer">JPL's Photojournal</a>. It is clear that Mercury is light grey in color.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/qia2Z.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/qia2Z.jpg" alt="" /></a><br />
<sub>(source: <a href="http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpegMod/PIA19410_modest.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">nasa.gov</a>)</sub></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/pTnJr.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/pTnJr.jpg" alt="" /></a><br />
<sub>(source: <a href="http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpegMod/PIA19283_modest.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">nasa.gov</a>)</sub></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/amPh8.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/amPh8.jpg" alt="" /></a><br />
<sub>(source: <a href="http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpegMod/PIA19449_modest.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">nasa.gov</a>)</sub></p>
<p>In terms of the actual surface, Mercury is very similar to the Moon. It's surface is speckled with craters, with some smaller craters inside them, as can be seen in some of the images above. The smoothness varies - note the inside of the larger crater in the first picture. It's quite smooth, save the <em>smaller</em> crater inside it.</p>
<p>See also <a href="http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/mercury01/pdf/8029.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this pdf</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-21T17:39:30.827Z
Very nice!  Thank you for the quick answer!  Additionally, is there any idea what it would look like from the surface (e.g. dusty, cracked, or smooth, or even varied based on location)?
Jonathan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-21T21:16:21.117Z
@Jonathan I don't think there are any photos, as we haven't yet sent landers, so I can't give you any more than conjecture that it would be kind of like the Moon.
HDE 226868
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-19T23:11:31.140Z
You can't go by the photos because astronomy photos are often enhanced for clarity.    Mercury is very dark.        https://gizmodo.com/we-finally-know-why-mercury-is-so-dark-1762944759
userLTK
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-22T02:27:03.060Z
@userLTK Thanks for pointing this out!  Very timely, as I am making planetary mining into my solar system exploration game Planetary Settlers, and am getting ready to add pickups to Mercury.  Looks like I will want to add a graphite pickup, and add Carbon as an element from mining there!
Jonathan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2016-01-20T22:11:47.430Z
2019-02-19T20:47:34.413Z
2020-06-17T09:47:40.653Z
HDE 226868
<p>What does the surface of Mercury look like?  What color is it (I have seen some images portraying it grey and some a light brownish color), and would the surface be dusty like the Moon, smooth, or even cracked (e.g. see image below) due to thermal expansion and contraction?
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/dqaOr.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/dqaOr.jpg" alt="mud cracks"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-20T07:25:39.003Z
The image above is dried mud which leads to considerable cracking, but that's not thermal cracking, it's dehydration.   I don't want to make this an answer as I'm just quoting a study that I haven't read through, but thermal expansion has been observed on Mercury and Mars too.  Less so on the Moon because (it says) the Moon was very hot when it formed.   The article is quite old, so there may be better information available.   http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1976LPSC....7.3229S
userLTK
<surface><mercury><geology>
What does the surface of Mercury look like?
Jonathan
# What does the surface of Mercury look like?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-01-20)

What does the surface of Mercury look like? What color is it (I have seen some images portraying it grey and some a light brownish color), and would the surface be dusty like the Moon, smooth, or even cracked (e.g. see image below) due to thermal expansion and contraction?
[![mud cracks](https://i.sstatic.net/dqaOr.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/dqaOr.jpg)

**Tags:** surface, mercury, geology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The image above is dried mud which leads to considerable cracking, but that's not thermal cracking, it's dehydration.   I don't want to make this an answer as I'm just quoting a study that I haven't read through, but thermal expansion has been observed on Mercury and Mars too.  Less so on the Moon because (it says) the Moon was very hot when it formed.   The article is quite old, so there may be better information available.   http://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1976LPSC....7.3229S  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-01-20. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

The [MESSENGER](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MESSENGER) probe was able to take many true-color pictures of Mercury. A full list can be found on [JPL's Photojournal](http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/targetFamily/Mercury). It is clear that Mercury is light grey in color.

[![](https://i.sstatic.net/qia2Z.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/qia2Z.jpg)  
(source: [nasa.gov](http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpegMod/PIA19410_modest.jpg))

[![](https://i.sstatic.net/pTnJr.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/pTnJr.jpg)  
(source: [nasa.gov](http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpegMod/PIA19283_modest.jpg))

[![](https://i.sstatic.net/amPh8.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/amPh8.jpg)  
(source: [nasa.gov](http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/jpegMod/PIA19449_modest.jpg))

In terms of the actual surface, Mercury is very similar to the Moon. It's surface is speckled with craters, with some smaller craters inside them, as can be seen in some of the images above. The smoothness varies - note the inside of the larger crater in the first picture. It's quite smooth, save the *smaller* crater inside it.

See also [this pdf](http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/mercury01/pdf/8029.pdf).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Very nice!  Thank you for the quick answer!  Additionally, is there any idea what it would look like from the surface (e.g. dusty, cracked, or smooth, or even varied based on location)?  
> **username_2**: @username_0 I don't think there are any photos, as we haven't yet sent landers, so I can't give you any more than conjecture that it would be kind of like the Moon.  
> **username_1**: You can't go by the photos because astronomy photos are often enhanced for clarity.    Mercury is very dark.        https://gizmodo.com/we-finally-know-why-mercury-is-so-dark-1762944759  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Thanks for pointing this out!  Very timely, as I am making planetary mining into my solar system exploration game Planetary Settlers, and am getting ready to add pickups to Mercury.  Looks like I will want to add a graphite pickup, and add Carbon as an element from mining there!  

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