Information from NASA’s Messenger probe has given us hope that life can exist even on a hot planet like Mercury. Here is hope for life in space
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun in our star system. Due to this proximity, Mercury’s surface temperature can reach up to 426 degrees Celsius. Due to these high temperatures, scientists were of the opinion that there would be no life on this planet. However, we have come across some clues that there may be life on the planet Mercury.
Traces of life on the planet Mercury! Important clue for life in space
Mercury is both the smallest planet in our system and one of the hottest planets due to its proximity to the Sun. Scientists at the Institute for Planetary Science in Arizona have reached interesting conclusions about the traces of life on the planet Mercury.
Accordingly, NASA’s Mercury probe Messenger found evidence of salt glaciers on the planet in regions with harsh climates rich in salt, like on Earth. Scientists are showing that salt compounds can also create habitats in harsh environments such as the Atacama desert in Chile. As you know, the Atacama desert is the driest hot desert in the world. In this sense, the evidence of salt minerals on the surface of Mercury gives hope that there may be life.
Especially the presence of volatile compounds such as sodium, potassium, sulfur and chlorine found by the Messenger probe is among the important evidence. It was thought that these elements had long since disappeared on the planet, which has no atmosphere, due to its proximity to the Sun.
Hydrogen was found in lunar dust brought back by the Apollo mission. This suggests that it will be less costly to establish life on the Moon.
Scientists have concluded that these elements are found in underground glacial forms, especially those formed as a result of meteorite impacts. In this sense, scientists believe that the presence of salt they encountered on the planet is also in these caves. In short, although Mercury is not an ideal planet for life, it is likely to have minerals and microbiological entities.
For humanity, the fact that life continues to exist on other planets is among the important proofs that we are not alone in the universe. The existence of life outside the Earth, albeit on a micro scale, is also important for life in space.
One of the most curious questions is how Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is not the hottest planet despite temperatures sometimes reaching 450 degrees Celsius. In this sense, the hottest planet in the solar system is Venus. The reason for this is the greenhouse effect caused by Venus’ atmosphere. Venus, the second closest planet to the Sun, can reach temperatures exceeding 460 degrees Celsius.
