Mercury rising

Mercury craters - credit to NASA.gov

How's this for interesting? The craters on Mercury have been named after famous deceased artists, musicians, or authors.

Now I can tell my daughter that if she wants to see Dr. Seuss, Faulkner and Warhol keep each other company, all she needs to do is look for elusive Mercury's next appearance in the sky! Oh, what I would do to be a fly on the wall and hear their conversations. With these rock stars (see what I did there?) on board, Mercury won't even need to orbit the sun! Or, will they be too hot to handle? Then cue in Mendelssohn for some background music! Me <--- mind blown.

“The MESSENGER team is delighted that these geologically important features on Mercury now have official names,” says MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean Solomon of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. “As these names appear regularly in the scientific literature and on maps of the innermost planet, the scientific community and the public will have many occasions to remember the brilliant individuals from many cultures whose contributions to the arts have enriched the lives of all.”

From redOrbit 

Seriously, though, it's the scientific community's great hat's off to these brilliant artists. As Walt Whitman said: "In the beauty of of poems are the tuft and final applause of science." Now I leave you with Freddie Mercury rocking it out.