Phys.org - 11/29/12
A radar image of Mercury's north polar region acquired by the Arecibo Observatory. Yellow areas denote regions of high radar reflectivity. Since their discovery in 1992, these polar deposits have been hypothesized to consist of water ice trapped in permanently shadowed areas near Mercury’s north and south pole, but other explanations for the polar deposits have also been suggested. Polar stereographic projection. From J. K. Harmon et al., Icarus, 211, 37–50 (2011). Image Credit: National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, Arecibo Observatory
(Phys.org)—New observations by the MESSENGER spacecraft provide compelling support for the long-held hypothesis that Mercury harbors abundant water ice and other frozen volatile materials in its permanently shadowed polar craters.
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