Scientists have discovered that there may be a thick layer of diamonds beneath the surface of the planet Mercury, hundreds of miles below Earth. This is the first time we have had the opportunity to observe the planet Mercury from orbit. When we think about life on other planets, we have to imagine that the environment would affect the shape of those creatures. Mercury, a small and hot planet, has kept many secrets for many years, but now space robots have found many strange things, including diamonds, on the hottest planet.
### Exploring Mercury
Mercury’s interior has a large and strange structure that is different from the other planets. The smallest planet in the solar system, Mercury has a mysterious surface that has been hidden for centuries, and its secrets are only beginning to be revealed as space research has advanced. In 1973, NASA’s Mariner 10 mission launched the search for answers to the mysteries of Mercury’s surface. In 2004, the Messenger spacecraft continued its exploration. Mariner 10 took the first close-up look at Mercury’s surface, capturing images of a landscape full of craters and strange lines, similar to our moon.
The Mariner 10 mission showed that Mercury’s surface was rough and cratered, and discovered that the planet had a stronger-than-expected magnetic field and a larger-than-expected core. These findings challenged previous ideas about Mercury’s composition. The Messenger mission, which stands for surface, space environment, geochemistry, and metrology, has helped us better understand the planet.
## Strange Things About the Surface
Messenger was designed to orbit Mercury, collecting data and taking more than 200,000 images of previously unseen landscapes. One of the interesting findings is that Mercury’s dark side contains large amounts of calcium and magnesium, which has led scientists to question how they formed. The mission also found that Mercury’s magnetic field is stronger on its north side, which is different from other planets.
Mercury’s surface is not only cratered, but also experiences extreme temperature swings. During the day, temperatures can reach 400 degrees Celsius, while at night they drop to -173 degrees Celsius. This temperature variation is due to Mercury’s thin atmosphere not being able to retain heat.
Recent studies, including data from Messenger, have shown that Mercury is volcanically active, casting doubt on the belief that the planet is “geologically dead.” Furthermore, in 2020, scientists discovered water ice in some of Mercury’s polar craters, which are dark and cold, raising the possibility that simple life could exist there, similar to what lives in harsh conditions on Earth.
### BepiColombo Mission
BepiColombo, the latest mission to Mercury, launched in 2018 by the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is scheduled to arrive at Mercury in 2025. This project will provide more detailed information about Mercury’s surface, including the planet’s chemical composition and geological history.
### Special Time and Space
Another interesting fact is that Mercury’s years are shorter than its days. Mercury orbits the Sun in 88 Earth days but takes 176 days to complete one rotation on its axis. If you stood on the surface of Mercury, you would see the Sun rise, move slowly across the sky, appear to stop, and then return to its original direction, a phenomenon caused by the planet’s slow rotation.
The planet also has an extremely thin atmosphere called the exosphere, which is constantly losing gas to space and gaining new gas from various sources. Mercury’s exosphere is maintained by solar wind, nuclear fission, and micrometeorites.
### Conclusion
New discoveries about Mercury, from its strong magnetic field to the presence of water ice, have opened up many questions about the planet and how planets form and change over time. Although Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system, it still holds many mysteries waiting to be solved.
