Posted on 05/03/2007 7:51:50 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Using a fancy version of a common chef's trick, scientists have discovered that Mercury's core may be partially molten, making it a little more Earth-like than once thought... "That is a surprise in the sense that Mercury is so small that most researchers had expected it to have cooled off and solidified by now. The molten core indicates otherwise," Margot said in a telephone interview. For a long time, scientists had thought Mercury's core was made of solid iron. But NASA's Mariner 10 mission in 1974 discovered that the planet has a weak magnetic field, something that may be associated with a molten core... "Mercury is an extreme planet because it is made primarily of iron. The core occupies maybe 75 or 80 percent of the radius of the planet," he said. "Why Mercury is so dense remains one of the most mysterious questions about the terrestrial planets. If we can figure out the answer to that question, we can better understand how the planets are put together."
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
A diagram shows the interior structure of Mercury. The metallic core extends from the center to a large fraction of the planetary radius. Radar observations show that the core is at least partially molten. REUTERS/Nicolle Ragger Fuller/National Science Foundation/Handout
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Whoops, forgot.
Scientific maverick’s theory on Earth’s core up for a test
SF Chronicle | Monday, November 29, 2004 | Keay Davidson
Posted on 12/05/2004 2:17:28 PM EST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1294934/posts
Can I be the first to suggest this is the fault of President Bush and SUV-driving Mercurians?
Maybe the planet should be renamed “Lexus” or “Hummer”?
Was Mercury a ‘hit-and-run’ planet?
MSNBC Space News | Jan. 11, 2006 | By Robert Roy Britt
Posted on 01/26/2006 1:26:47 AM EST by Swordmaker
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1565199/posts
NASA probe to fly past little, sun-baked Mercury
(NASA’s car-sized MESSENGER spacecraft)
Reuters on Yahoo | 1/10/08 | Will Dunham
Posted on 01/10/2008 5:18:43 PM EST by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1951662/posts
Spacecraft speeds by Mercury (within 124 miles)
AP on Yahoo | 1/14/08 | AP
Posted on 01/14/2008 4:19:17 PM EST by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1953624/posts
Spacecraft Beams Home New Images of Mercury (Nasa’s Messenger)
Space.com on Yahoo | 1/16/08 | Tariq Malik - ap
Posted on 01/16/2008 9:49:26 PM EST by NormsRevenge
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1954948/posts
(Humor) New NASA Photo Reveals Mercury Space Pirate
Tanniker Smith via the Daily Mail | 1/17/08 | Tanniker Smith
Posted on 01/17/2008 12:31:27 PM EST by Tanniker Smith
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1955242/posts
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