Large longitude libration of Mercury reveals a molten core - PubMed

Affiliations

• PMID: 17478713
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1140514

Large longitude libration of Mercury reveals a molten core

J L Margot et al. Science. 2007.

Abstract

Observations of radar speckle patterns tied to the rotation of Mercury establish that the planet occupies a Cassini state with obliquity of 2.11 +/- 0.1 arc minutes. The measurements show that the planet exhibits librations in longitude that are forced at the 88-day orbital period, as predicted by theory. The large amplitude of the oscillations, 35.8 +/- 2 arc seconds, together with the Mariner 10 determination of the gravitational harmonic coefficient C22, indicates that the mantle of Mercury is decoupled from a core that is at least partially molten.

Comment in

• Planetary science. Hot news on Mercury's core.

  Solomon SC. Solomon SC. Science. 2007 May 4;316(5825):702-3. doi: 10.1126/science.1142328. Science. 2007. PMID: 17478710 No abstract available.

Similar articles

• Constraints on Mimas' interior from Cassini ISS libration measurements.

  Tajeddine R, Rambaux N, Lainey V, Charnoz S, Richard A, Rivoldini A, Noyelles B. Tajeddine R, et al. Science. 2014 Oct 17;346(6207):322-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1255299. Science. 2014. PMID: 25324382

• Theory of Rotation for the Planet Mercury.

  Liu HS, O'keefe JA. Liu HS, et al. Science. 1965 Dec 24;150(3704):1717. doi: 10.1126/science.150.3704.1717. Science. 1965. PMID: 17768871

• Mercury radar imaging: evidence for polar ice.

  Slade MA, Butler BJ, Muhleman DO. Slade MA, et al. Science. 1992 Oct 23;258(5082):635-40. doi: 10.1126/science.258.5082.635. Science. 1992. PMID: 17748898

• Return to Mercury: a global perspective on MESSENGER's first Mercury flyby.

  Solomon SC, McNutt RL Jr, Watters TR, Lawrence DJ, Feldman WC, Head JW, Krimigis SM, Murchie SL, Phillips RJ, Slavin JA, Zuber MT. Solomon SC, et al. Science. 2008 Jul 4;321(5885):59-62. doi: 10.1126/science.1159706. Science. 2008. PMID: 18599768

• A regular period for Saturn's magnetic field that may track its internal rotation.

  Giampieri G, Dougherty MK, Smith EJ, Russell CT. Giampieri G, et al. Nature. 2006 May 4;441(7089):62-4. doi: 10.1038/nature04750. Nature. 2006. PMID: 16672964

Cited by

• Simulation of the planetary interior differentiation processes in the laboratory.

  Fei Y. Fei Y. J Vis Exp. 2013 Nov 15;(81):50778. doi: 10.3791/50778. J Vis Exp. 2013. PMID: 24326245 Free PMC article.

• Planetary science: Mercury's mysteries start to unfold.

  Stevenson DJ. Stevenson DJ. Nature. 2012 May 2;485(7396):52-3. doi: 10.1038/485052a. Nature. 2012. PMID: 22552095 No abstract available.

• Fluid Dynamics Experiments for Planetary Interiors.

  Le Bars M, Barik A, Burmann F, Lathrop DP, Noir J, Schaeffer N, Triana SA. Le Bars M, et al. Surv Geophys. 2022;43(1):229-261. doi: 10.1007/s10712-021-09681-1. Epub 2021 Dec 10. Surv Geophys. 2022. PMID: 35535259 Free PMC article. Review.

• Geodetic evidence that Mercury has a solid inner core.

  Genova A, Goossens S, Mazarico E, Lemoine FG, Neumann GA, Kuang W, Sabaka TJ, Hauck SA 2nd, Smith DE, Solomon SC, Zuber MT. Genova A, et al. Geophys Res Lett. 2019 Apr 16;46(7):3625-3633. doi: 10.1029/2018GL081135. Epub 2019 Mar 15. Geophys Res Lett. 2019. PMID: 31359894 Free PMC article.

• Modular model for Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field confined within the average observed magnetopause.

  Korth H, Tsyganenko NA, Johnson CL, Philpott LC, Anderson BJ, Al Asad MM, Solomon SC, McNutt RL Jr. Korth H, et al. J Geophys Res Space Phys. 2015 Jun;120(6):4503-4518. doi: 10.1002/2015JA021022. Epub 2015 Jun 9. J Geophys Res Space Phys. 2015. PMID: 27656335 Free PMC article.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources

• Full Text Sources

  • Atypon
  • Ovid Technologies, Inc.