Astrophysics reveal the mystery of the birth of Mercury
Astrophysics reveal the mystery of the birth of Mercury
The planet, which is closest to the Sun, has a disproportionately large metal core, which is about 70% of its mass, and a relatively small rocky mantle. Until now, the most common version was that Mercury lost a significant part of his bark and mantle as a result of a catastrophic clash with a large heavenly body. However, such clashes between bodies with very different masses are extremely rare.
A new study offers an alternative explanation based on a more common type of events of the early solar system – clashes on the tangent between bodies with similar masses. The results of the work are published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
The first author of the study is Patrick Franco, an astronomer with a doctoral degree from the National Observatory of Brazil and the postdoxterant of the Institute of Earth Physics in France: “Through the simulations, we show that the formation of Mercury does not require exceptional clashes. The sliding clash between the two protoplanets with similar masses can explain its composition. This is a much more believable scenario in terms of statistics and dynamics. ”
Фото: Patrick Franco et al./Nature Astronomy, 2025
Such a clash is possible at a relatively late stage in the formation of the solar system, when stone bodies of a similar size competed for a place in the internal regions.
“They interfered with each other’s orbits and even encountered, until only well -defined and stable orbital configurations that we know today,” Franco explains.
With the help of modeling, the authors came to the conclusion that Mercury initially had a composition similar to other planets of the earth type. The collision could deprive it of up to 60% of the initial mantle, which explains its increased metallicity. Part of the torn material was thrown out and never returned.
“If the clash occurred in close orbit, one of the possibilities is that this material was assimilated by another forming planet, possibly Venus. This is a hypothesis that still requires a deeper study, ”says the researcher.
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