Scientists studying Mercury have found evidence of glaciers in the planet’s polar regions, suggesting they could support life.
“This breakthrough discovery of Mercury glaciers expands our understanding of the environmental parameters that can support life.” Said Alexis Rodriguez, first author of the paper published This week Planetary Science Journal.
The authors suggest that glaciers made of salt, not mercury, may exist miles below Mercury’s polar regions, where there may be a “habitable niche” similar to Earth’s extreme environments. thinking. This research was funded in part by NASA’s Solar System Working (SSW) program.
The news comes weeks after scientists revealed that organic matter may be present on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, which is larger than Mercury.
new frontier
If this is true, the discovery of glaciers on Mercury will open new ground in astrobiology, the study of life in the universe. This not only suggests that life could exist in extreme environments throughout the solar system, but also that Mercury-like planets found across the galaxy could be habitable. . Until now, it was thought that Merkley orbited too close to the sun to support life.
“Our findings complement other recent studies showing that Pluto has nitrogen glaciers,” Rodriguez said, adding that glaciers can exist on the hottest and coldest objects in the solar system. He added that there is. Pluto’s glaciers are made up of frozen nitrogen.
mercury glacier
The glaciers thought to exist on Mercury are different from those on Earth. They originate from salt streams, are thought to come from deep beneath Mercury’s surface, and are only revealed by asteroid impacts. It is known that on Earth, certain salt compounds can create habitable niches in dead zones.
For example, microbial life has been found in Chile’s high-altitude Atacama Desert, despite its salty and dry conditions. “This idea leads us to ponder the possibility that Mercury’s underground regions may be more habitable than its harsh surface,” Rodriguez said.
goldilocks zone
When astronomers discover a new planet orbiting a star, they wonder if the planet orbits in the star’s habitable zone, where there may be liquid water on its surface and where it won’t boil or freeze. We often declare things like: This region of neither too cold nor too hot is sometimes called the “Goldilocks zone.” Mercury’s glaciers suggest a similar concept, but are thought to be located within the planet’s body. “In this case, the focus is not on the right distance from the star, but on the right depth below the planet’s surface,” Rodriguez says.
The discovery also calls into question current interpretations of Mercury’s geological history, with one theory suggesting that the glaciers may have formed from water ejected from volcanoes.
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