Ice marks on Mercury

NASA: Evidence for the existence of frozen water and organic materials at the pole of the planet closest to the Sun

Scientists of the American space agency believe that they have discovered deposits of ice and organic materials on the planet Hema - Mercury - the closest planet to the Sun. In the measurements made by the "Messenger" spacecraft, orbiting Mercury, evidence of the existence of these materials was discovered at the bottom of a deep crater, in the north pole region of the planet.

The bottom of this crater is always shaded, which allows the existence of ice on a planet whose surface temperatures reach almost a thousand degrees during the day.

According to the researchers, the area of ​​the ice layer is several square kilometers and its depth may reach several kilometers. With that said, in an article in the journal Science, the researchers emphasize that it is currently not a question of direct findings but of conclusions arising from data analysis of light reflections and other indirect measurements.

The researchers believe that the water and organic materials arrived on Mercury on comets and asteroids that collided with the planet. Over the years, almost all the water has evaporated from Mercury's surface, remaining only in its northernmost craters, where a cool shadow prevails all year round.