Ice found on Mercury- And even more mysterious things

[VBBN]

That's right, the closest planet to the sun.

 

But no I don't mean aliens. Firstly, here is the official report:

 

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/media/PressConf20121129.html]NASA - MESSENGER Finds New Evidence for Water Ice at Mercury's Poles[/url]

Now if you don't want to read this, allow me to explain it in as simple of words as I can manage.

Firstly, Mercury lies on an axis of almost 1 degree. This means it's axis is essentially zero, and at certain parts of the poles, light from the sun cannot reach there. This is where the ice exists. However the images that came back from the probe named MESSENGER(which sent back over 100,000 photos, went into operation in 2004) show something black on screen that covers this ice. It appears to be a 10-10 centimeter thick sheet of insulating material, which keeps the ice frozen. It is said to contain organic compounds; one of which being amino acids, a component ESSENTIAL to life. Also found were other frozen volatile substances.

Now the way I see it is this; It doesnt matter what it is, the question is why and how. That sheet protects that ice from the sun. It's like, grass. It needs dirt to survive and sunlight to grow. An organic material that is a thermal insulator to protective from hot conditions is suggestive of many things, and that raises many questions.

[Phovos]

It's pretty amazing, isn't it?

 

No one would have thought it.

[electrodude]

Didn't see that one coming .

[Rarity]

>ice on mercury>needs unknown organic sheet to sustain it>aliensBut seriously, that's awesome.And I REALLY wanna know what the "thing" that contains it is. Also, this makes us a step closer to finding aliens.

[Hodor]

>Water on Mercury>Lightening on Jupiter>Fire on Mars

my god, sailor moon was right all this time.

[Havelock Vetinari]

I do hope it's aliens.

 

So we can conquer and enslave them for the glory of humanity. Vile xenos.

[Phovos]

I doubt it's anything intelligent. But even just some sort of bacteria would be amazing.

[SkyLandOceAnna]

>Water on Mercury>Lightening on Jupiter>Fire on Mars

my god, sailor moon was right all this time.

 

So true. They got it right. HAHA!

 

I believe Mercury also has trees from this picture I saw!

[Rausaro]

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty interesting. So, it seems that the dark side of mercury is pocketed with water ice from comets and meteors, much like the moon and Mars. As for the "grass-like" material and "amino acids", I'll have to ask where you got that information, as I see nothing in the article about that. All that's stated is that "Organic materials", (defined as carbon bearing substances; apparently, many "organic" compounds aren't found in or as a byproduct of organisms) were detected. Secondly, the article states that the insulating material over the ice is actually debris from the comets/meteoroids that delivered the ice there in the first place. Finally, they mentioned that the entire surface of the planet is subject to harsh radiation.

 

 

Edited December 5, 2012 by Rausaro