Mercury is not a dead planet

Contrary to previous scientific opinion that Mercury is the dead planet, the data sent to Earth by Messenger of the spacecraft shows that the inner workings of the planet are infinite. exalted.

>>>Mercury once collided with a large asteroid?

Photos sent by the Messenger ship to Earth show that compared to the first day Mercury was formed, the pits on the surface of the planet were deformed under the impact of geological activity.

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun in our solar system. Through gravitational field research, scientists identify Mercury's internal structure extremely strange compared to other planets.

Maria Zuber, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), said: 'Many scientists believe that Mercury has a structure similar to the moon. In solar system history, Mercury becomes more and more cold and gradually turns into a dead planet through evolution '.

However, with the evidence gathered from the Messenger ship, the scientific community can confirm that the planet does not die like previous research results but on the contrary, inside the planet contains extremely exciting geological activities. .

The inner core activity reshapes the pits on Mercury's surface

Zuber and colleagues used the onboard ship laser meters to build a series of impact-formed concave mouths and found them tending to be more and more inclined. This means that the geological activities inside Mercury replicate the topography of the planet after the pits are formed.

Through observations on the Caloris basin of Mercury, the scientists also found that the bottom rate of the concave holes is higher than the concave mouth, meaning that the impact force inside the core has lifted. The bottom of the concave hole is high up.

Mariner 10 was the first probe to visit Mercury in the 1970s. The planet's diameter was 4,880km, about one third of the earth's size. Caloris basin area is the largest area on Mercury with a diameter of 1,300km.

Meanwhile, Mercury's large iron core accounts for more than 60% of the planet's total weight. In addition, the weather on this planet is also extremely harsh, with surface temperatures ranging from 425 degrees Celsius to -180 degrees Celsius.

Mercury is also the only planet close to the earth with a gravity field covering the entire planet. And Messenger is the first spacecraft to enter the planet's orbit.

According to the researchers, Mercurial low-lying regions of the north can move through the evolution of the planet, leading to geographic displacement on the planet's surface.

In theory, convection inside the new planet can create geological displacement on the surface. However, the phenomenon of geographic displacement on Mercury is unusual because the planetary shell is too thin.

Another theory that is mentioned is that the contours on Mercury's surface have become deformed when the planet's inner core is getting colder and shrinking.

Previously, scientists have only determined that Mercury has a large core rich in iron minerals and the surface cover is quite fragile. However, through Mercury's gravitational field-measuring devices, scientists can be sure that a large part of the planet's iron core contains liquid.

Mercury's core accounts for about 85% of the planet's radius, while the outer shell is only 15% thin, but very dense.

To explain this strange phenomenon, researcher Dave Smith at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center said that Mercury's core is surrounded by solid iron sulfide - an unprecedented structure in any planet Come on. Meanwhile, the thin shell envelops the iron sulphide layer and the planetary crust is formed from silicate rock.

Star explorer Messenger Messenger flew into the orbit of this planet in March 2011 and carried out two rounds a day, capturing nearly 100,000 photos and conducting 4 million measurements of the planet's surface.

The mission of Messenger also investigates the force exerted from the sun on the earth's tide. The team also periodically adjusted the ship's trajectory as well as calibrated its measurements to calculate the sun's impact on the earth.