Decipher the mystery of the origin of billions of tons of ice that exists on Mercury
For some special reason, there are still huge amounts of ice on Mercury despite the planet's closest temperature to 400 degrees Celsius. Looking for the most reasonable explanation.
For some special reason, there are still huge amounts of ice on Mercury despite the planet's closest temperature to 400 degrees Celsius. Looking for the most reasonable explanation.
And it seems this secret has been broken by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
According to recent research by scientists, the Sun's Pack carries charged particles, including protons, when attacking Mercury. They interact with minerals on the planet and create hydroxyl groups. Under extremely high temperatures, the hydroxyl group collides, producing water and hydrogen molecules.
These molecules tend to move around Mercury. Some of these molecules will fall into craters, permanently obscured areas that have extremely cold temperatures and never receive direct sunlight.
Mercury does not have a dense atmosphere, which means no air conducts heat so the water molecules will turn into ice. This process could produce about 11 billion tons of ice, accounting for 10% of Mercury's total ice, according to research published in the Journal of Astrophysics.
According to scientists, the remaining ice on Mercury is likely created by colliding with meteors and asteroids.
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