Atmosphere of Mercury

Planets and Dwarf Planets

Mercury has an extremely tenuous and variable exosphere rather than a substantial atmosphere. It contains hydrogen, helium, oxygen, sodium, calcium, potassium and water vapor, with a combined pressure of about 10−14 bar (1 nPa). Solar-wind particles and material released from Mercury's surface replenish it. Solar radiation forms a comet-like tail by pushing some particles away from the Sun. Mariner 10 detected the exosphere in 1974, and MESSENGER later detected magnesium.

Atmospheric type: Extremely tenuous and variable exosphere
Pressure: About 10−14 bar (1 nPa)
Observed by: Mariner 10 and MESSENGER

Sources and credits

Article: Atmosphere of Mercury (English Wikipedia)
Wikidata: Q245809
Text: Card text is adapted from the English Wikipedia article by an automated summary. Wikipedia content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for its contributors. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Article history and contributors
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Modifications: Resized and converted to WebP
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