I see ice on Mercury!

Image of Mercury

Mercury is the planet in our solar system that is closest to the Sun. Even so, there might be ice near its poles in parts of craters that are always in shadow.

Closer image of Mercury

The south pole of Mercury is inside the large, shaded crater at bottom center.

Image taken by the Mariner 10 spacecraft in 1974.

Even closer image of Mercury

The large, shadowed crater in the center is about 25 kilometers (15 miles) across.

Image taken by the Mariner 10 spacecraft in 1974.