1. Running head: MYRIAD MARVELS ON MYSTERIOUS MERCURY
Myriad Marvels on Mysterious Mercury
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Course:
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(March 20, 2012)
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2. MYRIAD MARVELS ON MYSTERIOUS MERCURY 2
Myriad Marvels on Mysterious Mercury
Mercury’s surface composition has disputing theories of how the innermost planet
was formed, thanks to messenger spacecraft which found out evidence for Copius ancient
volcanism.
Messenger spacecraft and other instrumental machineries have been orbiting mercury
recently. This authorizes the probe instruments to make new high resolution images of the
planet surface area, and clearly shows that mercury is quite far from being the arid grey world
it appeared (Cooper, 2011).
Following some measurements made by the messenger’s Gamma-ray spectrometer, it
indicated that mercury has high volatile materials than was expected. By analyzing the
proportionate abundance of potassium with thorium which is a non-volatile material, scientist
can evaluate the general volatile abundance on the planet (Cooper, 2011).
Messenger science unit analyzes that the ratio of volatile to non-volatiles on mercury
is approximately the same as Mars, Venus and Earth and ten times larger than the moon. The
existence of volatile may also explains unusual pits found on the crater rims. The pits are
found in craters big and small across the planet and they seem comparatively young, raising a
possibility that these pits are still forming and could be spotted by Messenger (Cooper, 2011).
Despite being an absolutely abandoned world compared to Earth, these pits and
volcanoes could explain to us about our own planets past. Mercury is changing into an active
world of large variability under the messenger’s attentive gaze. Mercury is an interesting
world that is incomparable in the solar system and scientist have now began to realize what
mercury is really like and are keen to reveal what it can tell us about activities that led to
shaping of the planets as we view them today.

3. MYRIAD MARVELS ON MYSTERIOUS MERCURY 3
Reference
Cooper, K. (2011). Myriad Marvels on Mysterious Mercury. Astronomy Now , 1-5.