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Peak-Ring Basins
Captured by the MESSENGER spacecraft, this image reveals two peak-ring basins, named Chekhov (A) and Schubert (B). Peak-ring basins are large impact craters that have an interior ring of surface material called a peak ring.
The basins are similar in size but look very different. Chekov has a prominent peak ring (arrow), and many craters cover its rim and floor. Lava flooded Schubert, creating a smoother floor and leaving only the slightest hint of a peak ring.
Image courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab/Carnegie Institution of Washington |
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Mercury's Core
Data collected by the MESSENGER spacecraft may shed some light on Mercury's internal structure. Looking at topographic, gravity, and magnetic field data, mission scientists speculate that the planet's core may be huge, possibly 85 percent of the planet's radius, and partially liquid.
The graphic compares the internal structures of the Earth and Mercury, as inferred from the MESSENGER data. A layer of iron sulfide (FeS) separates Mercury's mantle from its core. This layer would affect temperatures within the planet's interior and may influence the generation of its magnetic field. The inset reveals the relative radial sizes of the Earth and Mercury.
Image courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab/Carnegie Institution of Washington |
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Solar Storm
In March 2012, a powerful solar storm affected MESSENGER's imagery. In this picture of Mercury's surface, the bright streaks and speckles result from energetic particles from the Sun hitting the charged-couple device (CCD) on the spacecraft's camera. Images acquired during the storm will have to be taken again later in the mission.
Image courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab/Carnegie Institution of Washington |
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