Study suggests single asteroid impact delivered Mercury's water ice in one Mercurian day
By
Sharmila Kuthunur
Crackling crust, pillowy middle. The kind of bagel that earns a second cup of coffee.
Summary
New simulations suggest that a single massive asteroid impact on Mercury, similar to the one that created the Hokusai crater, may have rapidly transported water ice across the planet and trapped it in permanently shadowed polar craters within just one Mercurian day (176 Earth days). This challenges previous theories that Mercury's water ice was deposited gradually over long periods. The study provides a new explanation for the origin of water ice on the innermost planet, which has surprisingly large ice deposits despite its proximity to the Sun.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledA single colossal impact may have rapidly spread water across Mercury and locked much of it into permanently shadowed polar craters — all within the span of a single Mercurian day, or 176 Earth days, according to a new study.
The findings challenge the long-held assumption that Mercury's ice accumulated slowly over millions of years from micrometeorite impacts or comet deliveries.
This research provides a compelling new narrative for how one of the solar system's most extreme worlds came to harbor frozen water in its darkest corners.
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