By Ellie Zolfagharifard PUBLISHED: 05:10 EST, 18 October 2013 | UPDATED: 09:48 EST, 18 October 2013 Mercury, the closest planet to our sun, may hold the key to understanding how the Earth’s moon  formed. Nasa scientists have highlighted how Mercury has some striking similarities to Earth’s satellite, particularly in relation to its geological history. At the recent Origin of the Moon conference held at the Royal Society, London, scientists said that the finding could shed light on a popular theory on how the moon was created. Mercury (pictured), the closest planet to our sun, may hold the key to understanding how the Earth's moon was formed
@highlight
Just like the moon, a part of Mercury's surface is relatively smooth
@highlight
Its cratered land also has a similar topography and age to that of the moon
@highlight
Scientists propose that Mercury and the moon may be chemically similar
@highlight
This provides evidence in support of popular theory on how moon formed
In March this year, the Messenger spacecraft finished mapping the @placeholder’s entire surface, and scientists are now ploughing through the data that was beamed back.
One of the most significant findings is the similarities in geological history of both the moon and @placeholder.