The solar system’s innermost and smallest planet is far more than just another space rock. It is a world which tests human understanding, a world nearby yet difficult to reach, and a world whose perspective is very counterintuitive to our everyday lives. In learning about this planet, we learn more about how planets form and evolve over the eons.

As we prepare to see this world pass across the face of the Sun on the morning of Veterans Day, it is worth taking the time to get to know this distant destination.