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Ice on Mercury?

Started by joeactor, March 22, 2012, 07:22:12 PM

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joeactor

March 22, 2012, 07:22:12 PM
http://gizmodo.com/5895518/frozen-water-found-in-scorching-hot-752f-mercury-hell

QuoteNASA's Messenger has found very strong indications of frozen water in Mercury. But how can there be frozen water in a hell like Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, boiling at 752º Fahrenheit (400ºC)?

The answer is something called cold traps, areas of the surface of Mercury that are constantly cold because of the planet's position in relation to the Sun. This position makes some craters to have a permanent shadow, where the temperatures have remained low enough to retain the frozen water that was originally in the planet.

Tank

#1
March 22, 2012, 07:23:09 PM
Now that's a bet I wouldn't have taken!
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

joeactor

#2
March 23, 2012, 07:26:02 PM
Time for "Mercury Base Alpha"!

Tank

#3
March 23, 2012, 07:26:48 PM
Quote from: joeactor on March 23, 2012, 07:26:02 PM
Time for "Mercury Base Alpha"!
That would be a hot assignment.
If religions were TV channels atheism is turning the TV off.
"Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt." ― Richard P. Feynman
'It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.' - Terry Pratchett
Remember, your inability to grasp science is not a valid argument against it.

Ecurb Noselrub

#4
March 23, 2012, 07:37:57 PM
Somewhere in the transition between freezing and 700 degrees you may find a true Shangri-La.  It's probably about 28 inches across.

joeactor

#5
March 23, 2012, 07:45:42 PM
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on March 23, 2012, 07:37:57 PM
Somewhere in the transition between freezing and 700 degrees you may find a true Shangri-La.  It's probably about 28 inches across.

Spacious!
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