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| (Credit: ESA/ATG medialab; Mercury: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington |
NEWSLINE PAPER,- The enigmatic planet Mercury, closest to the Sun, nevertheless baffles scientists. Everything new discovered about Mercury, from its unusual chemical composition to its intriguing beginnings, seems to raise more questions than it answers. And, oddly enough, the rugged terrain of Cyprus held clues to unlocking these mysteries.
In quest of information, planetary geologist Nicola Mari of the University of Pavia in Italy travelled to the remote mountains of Cyprus. But when Mari got lost in the bush and his cell phone signal was deteriorating, the first scientific expedition swiftly turned into a terrifying one.
Despite challenges, Mari's willpower brought her victory. He had to find a certain rock called "boninite," which is supposed to resemble Mercury's surface. Should these rocks be found, they might yield important details regarding the creation of the planet.
Known by many as the "innermost planet from the Sun," Mercury is a planet with harsh circumstances. The midday heat is intense, and at night it gets very frigid. Because Mercury is so small and so near to the Sun, exploring it presents unique challenges.
Mercury's harsh topography has been briefly seen by previous missions like Mariner 10 and Messenger, which have also revealed surprising information about the composition and features of the planet. Among the most puzzling findings was Mercury's remarkably huge core in relation to its thin crust, which defied accepted planetary theories.
Mercury's chemical makeup differs from that of the planets around it as well. A material that should have vanished in the intense heat of the Sun, large quantities of thorium, complicate the formation of Mercury.
Still, knowledge is not finished there. The comprehensive investigation of Mercury by the BepiColombo mission is expected to reveal further secrets to scientists.
By means of a comparison of earlier mission data with current discoveries, scientists aim to rebuild the geological history of Mercury and unravel the secrets of the early solar system.
Mari's trip demonstrates that there are clues regarding the mysteries of the cosmos even in the furthest corners of our planet. We are approaching understanding our place in the cosmos with every new discovery.