Space Daily·2 min read·medium
Deep inside polar craters on Mercury, sunlight has never once fallen — and NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft confirmed in 2012 that those permanently shadowed floors hold ancient water ice, sitting metres f
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NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has confirmed the presence of ancient water ice within permanently shadowed craters on Mercury. Despite the planet's extreme proximity to the Sun, these polar regions remain cold enough to preserve ice for millions of years.
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. At its equator in daytime, the surface can reach about 430 degrees Celsius, well above the melting point of lead. Near the poles, however, the floor of a deep crater can remain below minus 170 degrees Celsius... [11040 chars]
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