Analyzing the Abundance of Boulders on the Planet Mercury
Scientists received new information about the conditions on the planet closest to the Sun. An international group of planetary scientists from the United States, Russia,…
MESSENGER News
What Mercury’s Unusual Orbit Reveals About the Sun [Video]
Mercury is special. As the closest planet to the Sun, it occupies a region where the Sun’s influence is changing dramatically. The Sun’s magnetic field,…
First Space-Based Measurement of Neutron Lifetime Completed Using NASA Spacecraft
Scientists have found a way of measuring neutron lifetime from space for the first time — a discovery that could teach us more about the…
MESSENGER Mission Measures Solar System Expansion
Like the waistband of a couch potato in midlife, the orbits of planets in our solar system are expanding. It happens because the Sun’s gravitational…
Micrometeoroid Showers Make Big Impact on Mercury’s Thin Atmosphere
New research sheds light on how certain types of comets influence the lopsided bombardment of Mercury’s surface by tiny dust particles called micrometeoroids. Mercury, our…
‘Great Valley’ Provides More Evidence That Mercury is Shrinking
A newly discovered “great valley” in the southern hemisphere of Mercury provides more evidence that the small planet closest to the sun is shrinking. Scientists…
NASA Research Reveals That Mercury is Active
New research suggests that Mercury is contracting even today, joining Earth as a tectonically active planet. Images obtained by NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry,…
Scientists Unveil the First Global Topographic Model of Mercury
Using data from NASA’s MESSENGER mission, astronomers created the first global digital elevation model (DEM) of Mercury, revealing in stunning detail the topography across the…
MESSENGER Spacecraft Reveals New Details about Mercury
Using data from the MESSENGER spacecraft, scientists reveal new insights about Mercury. The first measurements of Mercury’s movements from a spacecraft orbiting the planet reveal…
MESSENGER Collects Important Data on Mercury During Its Orbital Decay
NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft collected low-altitude magnetic field measurements during its orbital decay, revealing that magnetism generated by the Mercury’s core dates to the very early…
NASA’s MESSENGER Spacecraft Seeks to Unmask the Secrets of Mercury
Since entering Mercury orbit on March 17, 2011, NASA’s MESSENGER Spacecraft has provided astronomers with over 250,000 images and extensive other data sets. The Mercury…
New Surface Composition Maps of Mercury Provide Clues to the Planet’s History
Using data from the MESSENGER spacecraft, scientists reveal previously unrecognized geochemical terranes of Mercury. Two new papers from members of the MESSENGER Science Team provide…
MESSENGER Reveals Possible Source of Surge of Calcium in Mercury Exosphere
New data from NASA’s MESSENGER has revealed seasonal surges of calcium in the exosphere of Mercury, suggesting that a periodic meteor shower from the debris…
Messenger Spacecraft Reveals Mercury’s Bizarre Magnetic Field
Scientists used data from NASA’s Messenger spacecraft to reveal how Mercury’s core is different from Earth’s, explaining why the planet has such a bizarre magnetic…
NASA’s Messenger Discovers Hot Flow Anomalies at Mercury
Using data from NASA’s MESSENGER mission, scientists have identified hot flow anomalies in Mercury’s bow shock over a course of two planetary years. The solar…
New Study Resolves a Decades-Old Paradox between Thermal History Models and Estimates of Mercury’s Contraction
A newly published study from the Carnegie Institute resolves a decades-old paradox between thermal history models and estimates of Mercury’s contraction, showing that Mercury contracted…
MESSENGER Spacecraft Views Hovnatanian Crater on Mercury
NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft captures a color image of the Hovnatanian crater, an elliptical crater on Mercury. This color image, taken on May 1, 2013 by…
Presence of Ice on Mercury Confirmed by MESSENGER Probe
While the surface of Mercury is hot enough in some places to melt lead, the MESSENGER probe confirmed that there are about a trillion tonnes…
