TALK ABOUT A COLD DAY IN HELL!

Forums: Mercury, Science, Astronomy, Ice, Organic Material
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Despite searing daytime temperatures, Mercury, the planet closest to the sun, has ice and frozen organic materials inside permanently shadowed craters in its north pole, NASA scientists said on Thursday.

Earth-based telescopes have been compiling evidence for ice on Mercury for 20 years, but the finding of organics was a surprise, say researchers with NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, the first probe to orbit Mercury.

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Type: Discussion • Score: 10 • Views: 2,264 • Replies: 18

[+7] - Enzo - 11/29/2012Not a least bit surprised about finding water. The night side of Mercury reaches around -300 F, and the day side reaches around +800 F, added to the fact that mercury's tilt is zero degrees, so...

@Setanta,

... and I'd thought, you had written some news about your every day life, Set.

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Insterding.

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@Walter Hinteler,

The Norse and your ancestral Dutchmen saw perdition as a frozen place.

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@Setanta,

And in earth, mercury is found in ocean waters.
Cool discovery, I must add.

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@Setanta,

Not a least bit surprised about finding water. The night side of Mercury reaches around -300 F, and the day side reaches around +800 F, added to the fact that mercury's tilt is zero degrees, so unlike Earth, Mercury's poles never see the sun.
The interesting find is finding organic ingredients that has potential to lead to life.
It'd be interesting to find any volcanic heating going under some ice sheets to create isolated water pools with hot springs (ice would cap it off so the water would not boil off) where life could exist.

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@Enzo,

What Enzo said, basically. Finding water, in whatever form, is not a major surprise. Finding organic matter is.

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@Enzo,

There are extremophiles which live in "geo-active" vents at the bottom of the ocean, and others which live in ice "rivers" on Antarctica. They might not need liquid water.

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@Enzo,

there are several non bio processes which can form various organics and by several other processes, these can " distill " each other so that pure product can reside in areas under shdow as they reassociate by vapor transfer. Its like making booze except on a huge scale.

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They say that the most likely source of the organic material is the same source as the water itself: Comets.

Most Comets are not describes as "dirty snowballs", the 'dirt' part being in large part, organic material.

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@rosborne979,

yeh thats most reasonble. Untilthey can do a carbon "stable isotoperatio" (C13/C12) wed nver know if the sources of organics were biological or not

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@farmerman,

We used to have a Mercury. Big ass sucker. We never could find a parking space, though. Had a 4-barrel carb so it had lots of life.

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The Mercury Comet was a hot car in its day, and still looks good on the road.

http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/mercury-comet/images/mercury-comet-1a.jpg

(i can be just as silly as Ragman . . . )

1 Reply

@Setanta,

True 'nuf! (Especially with the connection to the comets, too. Good work.)

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@Ragman,

But the Comet Set showed us doesn't seem to have any organic matter. Here's one with organic matter (and a lot of miles.)

http://www.trbimg.com/img-1333478573/turbine/os-mercury-comet-photo-20120403

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@Setanta,

merc comets Bleghhh. I like the 70 Merc Cougar XR7 and "Boss"

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I love these science threads, even if they are ponderously serious . . .

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@Setanta,

we are attempting to preent accurate data, thank you berry much.

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@farmerman,

I like them too..just got this irrestible urge ... to ... 'ya know..mess 'round.

And, speaking of other planetary life....

Back to listening to live version of Tull and Thick as a Brick.

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TALK ABOUT A COLD DAY IN HELL!

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