Scientists have long been puzzled about what makes Mercury's surface so dark. The innermost planet reflects much less sunlight than the Moon, a body on which surface darkness is controlled by the abundance of iron-rich minerals. ...
Space Exploration
Mar 7, 2016
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New data from MESSENGER, the spacecraft that orbited Mercury for four years before crashing into the planet a week ago, reveals Mercury's magnetic field is almost four billion years old. The discovery helps scientists piece ...
Space Exploration
May 7, 2015
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(Phys.org) —The surface of Mercury is rather different from those of well-known rocky bodies like the Moon and Mars. Early images from the Mariner 10 spacecraft unveiled a planet covered by smooth plains and cratered plains ...
Space Exploration
Jul 3, 2013
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(PhysOrg.com) -- As the closest planet to the sun, Mercury is scorching hot, with daytime temperatures of more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 450 degrees Celsius). It is also the smallest rocky planet, so its ...
Space Exploration
Jun 2, 2009
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A month before the planned launch of the joint ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury, two new studies shed light on when the innermost planet formed and the puzzle of its chemical composition. The findings will be presented ...
Space Exploration
Sep 19, 2018
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New research from North Carolina State University finds that major volcanic activity on the planet Mercury most likely ended about 3.5 billion years ago. These findings add insight into the geological evolution of Mercury ...
Space Exploration
Aug 5, 2016
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An unmanned NASA spacecraft has crashed on the surface of the planet Mercury, after it ran out of fuel following a successful 11-year mission, the US space agency said Thursday.
Space Exploration
Apr 30, 2015
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NASA's Mercury-orbiting spacecraft, Messenger, is going out with a bang this week, adding a hefty crater to the little planet closest to the sun.
Space Exploration
Apr 29, 2015
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists are excited about solving some of the mysteries surrounding our smallest and hottest planet. The findings are expected to broaden our understanding of rocky planets, more and more of which are ...
Space Exploration
Mar 14, 2011
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(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's MESSENGER mission team and cartographic experts from the U. S. Geological Survey have created a critical tool for planning the first orbital observations of the planet Mercury - a global mosaic of ...
Space Exploration
Dec 15, 2009
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