This planet has a 2:3 rotation to revolution ratio, meaning that its day is longer than its year.
In order to complement the lunar crater naming system, all of the craters on this planet are named after nonscientific authors, composers, or artists. This planet has a 2:3 rotation to revolution ratio, meaning that its day is longer than its year. It is scheduled to be visited in 2020 by a joint European/Japanese mission named BepiColombo, while a hilly region known as the "Weird Terrain" is located antipodal to its Caloris Basin. The main goal of NASA's MESSENGER mission is to study this planet from orbit and to continue Mariner 10's mapping of its surface. For 10 points, identify this planet named for the Roman messenger god, the closest to the Sun.
In order to complement the lunar crater naming system, all of the craters on this planet are named after nonscientific authors, composers, or artists.
{Mercury}