A recent study proposes that Mercury’s unusually large iron core formed after a grazing collision with a similar-sized protoplanet stripped away much of its rocky mantle. The theory is supported by simulations and past mission data, with further observations expected from the BepiColombo mission in November 2026.
Scientists discovered that Mercury may have a 16 km (10-mile) thick diamond layer at its core-mantle barrier. This revelation, based on NASA’s MESSENGER mission data and high-pressure laboratory experiments, shed new light on the planet’s complicated interior structure and thermal development. The team was led by Yongjiang Xu and Yanhao Lin of the Center for…
A team of scientists from the US Geological Survey (USGS), the Arizona State University, Carnegie Institute of Washington, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and NASA have produced a first comprehensive, high-resolution topographic map of…
In April 2015, the NASA spacecraft MESSENGER completed its more than four year journey in the orbit of the planet Mercury.New discoveries in the mission have emphasized just how mysterious Mercury is for planetary scientists. Recurring features across the entire planet
Comet Encke will fly by Mercury within 0.025 AU (3.74 million km) on November 18, 2013 and only a day later, Comet ISON will pass it at 0.24 AU. This is a unique cosmic coincidence and NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, which is orbiting the planet,
The three brightest planets in this month's night sky are lining up for a remarkable sunset conjunction at the end of May.
On May 26, 2013, in a triple conjunction, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will form a tight triangle only three degrees
May 2013 brings few interesting sky events. This years Eta Aquarid meteor shower will peak on May 6 with expected zenith hourly rate of 55 meteors per hour. We are about to experience annular solar eclipse on May 9/10. Annularity will be visible from
The planet Mercury is about to make its best apparition of the year for backyard sky watchers. Look west at sunset for a piercing pink planet surrounded by twilight blue.Source: NASA Science
New data from NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft suggest that there’s plenty of ice on Mercury’s polar regions. Given its proximity to the Sun, Mercury would seem to be an unlikely place to find ice. But the tilt of Mercury’s rotational axis is almost zero — less than one
Toxic mercury in the arctic, long thought to be coming primarily from atmospheric sources, is also being carried into the region by rivers. The Arctic accumulation of toxic mercury is caused by both atmospheric forces and the flow of circumpolar rivers that carry the
