Researchers make the first short-term observation of sodium flares in Mercury’s exosphere.
Mercury
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Quickly Is Mercury’s Surface Evolving?
New measurements of impact craters on Mercury’s smooth plains suggest that the topography of the solar system’s innermost planet is changing at twice the rate of landforms on the Moon.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Unprecedented Views of Mercury Constrain Hollow Formation
The consistently shallow depths of the depressions scattered across Mercury's surface suggest their morphology is not determined by the thickness of a volatile-rich outer layer.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Demystifying Mercury "Hollows"
Spectral data from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft indicate that the properties of the depressions on Mercury's surface can vary within a single crater and that these differences may correlate to age.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Mercury's Magnetosphere Model Gets Retro Makeover
New observations from Mercury revive a once-abandoned model for its magnetic field, resulting in a new profile that better fits the data.
Posted inNews
Mercury's Secrets Revealed by Soon-to-Crash Spacecraft
From finding water ice on Mercury to discovering magnetic field lines cutting through the planet, NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has spent its lifetime unveiling Mercury's secrets.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Scientists Watch Solar Winds Blast Mercury's Magnetic Field
A NASA team used the MESSENGER spacecraft to analyze Mercury's magnetosphere during intense solar wind pressure.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Large-Scale Electric Currents May Flow Through Mercury's Crust
NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft discovered electric currents in Mercury's magnetosphere directed toward and away from the planet. Do the currents reach the planet? If so, where do they go?