![]() The researchers looked, most importantly, at the planet’s spin and gravity. The team used several observations from the MESSENGER ( Mercury Surface, Space Environment, GEochemistry and Ranging) mission to probe the interior of Mercury. To figure out what the core of Mercury is made of, Genova and his colleagues had to get, figuratively, closer. Mercury may help us predict how Earth’s magnetic field will change as the core cools.” “Mercury’s interior has cooled more rapidly than our planet’s. “Mercury’s interior is still active, due to the molten core that powers the planet’s weak magnetic field, relative to Earth’s,” said Antonio Genova, an assistant professor at the Sapienza University of Rome who led the research while at NASA Goddard. Just how similar, and how different, the cores of the planets are may give us clues about how the solar system formed and how rocky planets change over time. The findings of Mercury’s solid inner core, described in Geophysical Research Letters, certainly adds to a better understanding of Mercury, but there are larger ramifications. Scientists had also wondered whether Mercury might have a solid inner core. This large core - huge compared to the other rocky planets in our solar system - has long been one of the most intriguing mysteries about Mercury. Some scientists compare Mercury to a cannonball because its metal core fills nearly 85 percent of the volume of the planet. Now, in a new study, scientists from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland have found evidence that Mercury’s inner core is indeed solid and that it is very nearly the same size as Earth’s inner core. Like Earth, Mercury’s outer core is composed of liquid metal, but there have only been hints that Mercury’s innermost core is solid. It has long been known that Mercury and the Earth have metallic cores. This is exactly what NASA planetary scientists did, using data from the agency’s former mission to Mercury. ![]() How do you explore the interior of a planet without ever touching down on it? Start by watching the way the planet spins, then measure how your spacecraft orbits it - very, very carefully. NASA Scientists found evidence that Mercury’s inner core is indeed solid and that it is very nearly the same size as Earth’s inner core.
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