Articles tagged with Planet Mercury
MESSENGER will zip within 142 miles of Mercury's surface, taking high-resolution color images and ultraviolet measurements. CU-Boulder's MASCS instrument aims to pinpoint iron on the planet's surface, which maintains its magnetic field.
Researchers constructed a nearly complete globe of Mercury using high-resolution and multispectral images, revealing its composition and origin. The study suggests that Mercury's crust formed in repeated volcanic eruptions, unlike the Moon.
Researchers detected magnesium in Mercury's atmosphere during a MESSENGER flyby, surprising scientists with its distribution and abundance. The discovery is one clue to understanding the creation of the rocky planet closest to the sun.
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown, massive impact basin named Rembrandt on Mercury's surface. The 700-kilometer-wide basin is younger than most other known impact basins and features unique tectonic landforms that formed after volcanic flows filled it.
MESSENGER spacecraft will make its second flyby of Mercury on Oct. 6, providing a region unseen before by spacecraft and revealing details about the planet's atmosphere and surface. The mission aims to gather data and images from Mercury for about 90 minutes, including observations in the far ultraviolet portion of the light spectrum.
MESSENGER data reveals widespread volcanism on Mercury's surface, with lava plains and iron-deficient rock units mapped. The spacecraft has identified three major rock units and confirmed an apparent planet-wide iron deficiency in Mercury's surface rocks.
Researchers from Brown University have discovered evidence of past volcanic activity on Mercury, suggesting that the planet underwent intense changes to its landscape around 3-4 billion years ago. The findings were made possible by detailed images from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft and provide new insights into Mercury's geologic history.
New scientific evidence suggests that iron snow forms and falls toward the center of Mercury's core, powering its weak magnetic field. This process could be responsible for the planet's mysterious magnetic field, which is about 100 times weaker than Earth's.
Researchers propose that mantle convection played a role in forming Mercury's lobate scarps, contrary to earlier theories. The simulations suggest that upwellings from mantle convection take on a linear roll shape, distinct from other planets' features.
MESSENGER's Wide Angle Camera captures high-resolution color views of Mercury, showcasing subtle variations indicative of different rock types and mineral compositions. The images provide valuable information for understanding Mercury's formation and evolution.
BepiColombo, a joint ESA-JAXA mission, will make the most comprehensive study of Mercury ever, revealing its composition, magnetosphere, and origin. The mission consists of two spacecraft: MPO and MMO, carrying instruments to study the planet's surface and internal structure.
The MESSENGER spacecraft has captured high-resolution images of Mercury's surface, revealing detailed features such as the Vivaldi crater and ancient depressions. The images show craters as small as 1 kilometer in diameter, providing new insights into the planet's geology.
The MESSENGER spacecraft completed its first flyby of Mercury, collecting scientific data and imagery of the planet's surface. The mission will provide new insights into Mercury's previously unseen surface features.
The MESSENGER spacecraft will make its first flyby of Mercury on January 14, 2008, capturing images of large portions of the planet never seen before. The encounter will provide critical gravity assist needed to keep the spacecraft on track for its orbit insertion around Mercury.
Brown students and faculty will analyze data from MESSENGER spacecraft, exploring Mercury's surface composition, geological history, and magnetic field
Scientists at CU-Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics are leading a team that will make measurements of Mercury's surface and tenuous atmosphere using the MESSENGER spacecraft. The mission will provide new insights into the composition, formation, and evolution of Mercury.
Researchers will make measurements of thick clouds and surface of Venus, comparing atmosphere with past data, using MASCS instrument. The mission also tests instrument performance before Mercury arrival and explores mineral composition, gas distribution, and water-ice at Mercury's poles.
Researchers have found strong evidence that Mercury's core is molten, a discovery that could explain the planet's weak magnetic field. The study used a novel technique to detect tiny twists in Mercury's spin, which occurred as the sun's gravity exerted alternating torques on the planet.
Two new planets have been discovered by astronomers, both extremely close to their stars and estimated to be around 3,272 degrees Fahrenheit. The discovery is made possible by the transit method, which detects slight dimming of starlight as planets pass in front of their stars.
A declaration by top scientists states that mercury pollution poses significant risks to human health, particularly for children and women of childbearing age. The declaration also highlights the need for reduced mercury use and emissions, as well as careful fish consumption to minimize exposure.
The Finnish SIXS instrument will measure the Sun's X-ray and particle radiation on Mercury, providing valuable data on the planet's surface and magnetosphere. The instrument is part of the BepiColombo mission, a European Space Agency project that aims to explore Mercury's orbit and composition.
The MESSENGER mission will explore Mercury's searing surface, oddball atmosphere, and bizarre magnetic field. The LASP's $8.7 million Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer will address questions about the planet's mineral composition, gas distribution, and core.
MESSENGER, NASA's first Mercury orbiter mission, is set to begin prelaunch tests at Goddard Space Flight Center. The spacecraft will undergo environmental testing and shake-and-bake tests to prepare it for its May 2004 launch and a yearlong study of Mercury.
The MESSENGER project has passed a critical design review and is ready to move forward with building its spacecraft. The spacecraft will study Mercury's composition, geologic history, and magnetosphere over a one-year orbit, providing valuable insights into the inner solar system.
A new study suggests that planetary systems similar to ours are not common in the galaxy, with only 44.7% of stars capable of supporting such systems. This finding contradicts the theory that planetary systems are necessary for extraterrestrial life.
A recent study suggests that planetary systems similar to our own are rare in the galaxy, with less than 45% of stars capable of hosting Jupiter-like planets at specific distances. The study's findings were made possible by a new method developed by graduate student B. Scott Gaudi and his team using gravitational lensing anomalies.
When a star swallows a planet, it can experience profound effects on its evolution, including changes in spin rate and emission of infrared radiation. The simulations show that large planets can survive for thousands of years before being vaporized by the heat, leaving behind tell-tale signs such as high lithium abundance.
JHU/APL's MESSENGER spacecraft will be the first to visit Mercury in over three decades, gathering data on the planet's density, atmosphere, and magnetosphere. The $286 million mission has potential applications in industry beyond scientific research.