A Single Asteroid Strike May Have Delivered All of Mercury’s Water, Study Finds
A new study suggests that a massive asteroid or comet impact may have delivered all of Mercury's water in a single event. Researchers simulated the impact and found that it likely generated a temporary atmosphere rich in water vapor, which allowed water to accumulate in the planet's permanently shadowed regions. The findings provide insights into how water ice exists on a planet so close to the Sun.
- ▪In 2012, a NASA probe confirmed the presence of water ice on Mercury.
- ▪A new study indicates that a colossal impact deposited all of Mercury's water in one day.
- ▪The impact generated a temporary atmosphere that helped water migrate to the planet's poles.
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In 2012, a NASA probe confirmed something rather unexpected about Mercury. The scorching hot planet has deposits of water ice stashed in permanently shadowed areas. Exactly how the water got there, however, has remained a mystery. Now, a team of scientists has traced Mercury’s frozen water to a colossal impact that transformed the planet in a single Mercurian day.cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"92b7b46b-43ed-4e0e-b21b-2c999302d9d7","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.gizmodo.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"2000764992","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"science","SECTION":"space","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"space","TAGS":"asteroid-impact,mercury,solar-system","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); A new study,…
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