Space’s mysteries continue to baffle scientists across the nation as NASA finds ice on Mercury.
Tests run by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft, which arrived on Mercury last year, show there may be several inches of ice insulated by carbon-based organic material deep in northern craters, according to a NASA news release.
While the presence of water on the planet was predicted for decades, said Haywood Smith, UF associate professor of astronomy, the confirmation — as well as the discovery of the organic material that could be the building blocks of life — is a major find.
NASA estimates about 1 trillion tons of ice are among the craters that dot Mercury’s Northern pole.
Although Mercury’s surface reaches a molten 800 degrees Fahrenheit thanks to its solar neighbor, the planet hardly tilts, and its atmosphere is extremely thin, the release stated.
These factors mean the inside of the polar craters do not see sunlight.
The temperatures in the constantly shady spaces get as chilly as -350 degrees Fahrenheit.
“It’s similar to how they found unexpectedly large amounts of water on the moon a while ago,” Smith said.
“It has been theorized to be a possibility but definitely not something expected.”
The organic molecules that cushion some of the ice contains carbon — a necessary element for life, according to the release.
Haywood said that while the discovery is significant, he doesn’t expect life to be discovered there.
“Organic molecules are thought to be pretty common in meteorites,” Smith said. “Maybe less so on the comets that would be carrying the water.”
