BepiColombo Mission to Reveal Mercury's Core Secrets in 2026
The European-Japanese mission BepiColombo, set to reach Mercury in 2026, promises new insights into the planet's mysterious core, which makes up a staggering 70% of its mass. This is significantly higher than Earth's 32% or Mars' 25%.
NASA's MESSENGER mission (2010-2015) discovered that Mercury's core takes up about 85% of its radius and is partly molten. This unusual composition is thought to be the result of a massive collision between two similarly sized protoplanets during the early solar system's formation. This theory, supported by 20% of planetary formation simulations, suggests that much of the debris from the impact may have escaped and been incorporated into another planet like Venus.
Mercury's proximity to the Sun led to its formation in this unique way. Despite its closeness, Mercury is not as hot as Venus due to its lack of atmosphere, which helps regulate temperature.
BepiColombo's arrival in 2026 may shed more light on Mercury's enigmatic core and its formation history. The mission aims to confirm or refine the theory that a massive collision between protoplanets shaped Mercury into the planet we know today, with its unique characteristics such as a longer day than year and a vast, partly molten core.
Read also:
- Prices of transit tickets in Berlin and Brandenburg are on the rise
- Linde Wins Major Engineering Design Contract for Equinor's Low Carbon Hydrogen Project at H2H Saltend, Progressing Towards a Greener Future
- Transportation via roads plays a critical role in India's shift towards clean energy.
- Zigbee and LoRa Low-Power Internet of Things (IoT) Network Protocols: The Revolution in Data Transmission and Networking
