Title

Messenger Observations Of Mercury'S Exosphere: Detection Of Magnesium And Distribution Of Constituents

Abstract

Mercury is surrounded by a tenuous exosphere that is supplied primarily by the planet's surface materials and is known to contain sodium, potassium, and calcium. Observations by the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer during MESSENGER's second Mercury flyby revealed the presence of neutral magnesium in the tail (anti-sunward) region of the exosphere, as well as differing spatial distributions of magnesium, calcium, and sodium atoms in both the tail and the nightside, near-planet exosphere. Analysis of these observations, supplemented by observations during the first Mercury flyby, as well as those by other MESSENGER instruments, suggests that the distinct spatial distributions arise from a combination of differences in source, transfer, and loss processes. © 2009 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Publication Date

5-1-2009

Publication Title

Science

Volume

324

Issue

5927

Number of Pages

610-613

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1172525

Socpus ID

66249144116 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/66249144116

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