Despite being relatively nearby, very few space probes have visited the solar system's innermost planet. Any spacecraft aiming to study Mercury must accelerate to incredible speeds, and that can take ...

Using a cutting-edge magnetic wave detection technique, a new study in Nature Communications has identified lithium in Mercury's exosphere for the first time. Mercury's exosphere is a fragile ...

Most planets have a magnetic field, like Earth, but with different strength or structure. It shields the planet from the energetic particles of the solar wind. The origin of the magnetic field is ...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, May 7 (Reuters) - New results from NASA's now-defunct Messenger spacecraft show Mercury's magnetic field switched on about 4 billion years ago, scientists said on Thursday.

Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces from Imperial College London.View full profile Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum ...

The BepiColombo spacecraft may have only made rapid flybys of Mercury, but it is already helping to unravel mysteries surrounding the closest planet to the sun. During a June 2023 flyby of Mercury, ...

About 4 billion years ago, Mercury’s magnetic field could have been much stronger than today, as indicated by low-altitude observations made by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft that revealed evidence of ...

LOS ANGELES - Despite its proximity to the sun, portions of Mercury appear to be covered in ice, scientists said Thursday after analyzing 20,000 new images of the solar system's smallest planet. The ...

"It's really exciting to start seeing the link between the planet's surface and the plasma environment." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it ...

The BepiColombo spacecraft may have only made rapid flybys of Mercury, but it is already helping to unravel mysteries surrounding the closest planet to the sun. In 2026, a European Space Agency ...