Water On Merury ?

[Chipchopper]

Scientists now believe that water, exists in ice form on mercury, even though it is the closest planet to the sun.
So, is it therefore feasible that water can be found somewhere between the two extremes the may be able to support life

[Old_Geezer]

Maybe, but I'd suspect life as we know it to be unlikely. Do you have a link to the report ?

[webbo3]

https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/water-ice-on-mercury

https://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/35-Is-there-any-water-on-Mercury-#:~:text=Recent%20data%20show%20that%20water,shadowed%20by%20the%20crater%20rims.

[Old_Geezer]

Thanks. Limited info though. It sounds like only the craters at the poles would hold ice, making finding life on the planet unlikely.

[naomi24]

It's feasible.

[Zacs-Master]

Mercury has no atmosphere.

[naomi24]

//Mercury has an extremely thin atmosphere which is made up of atoms blasted off its surface by the Solar wind, a constant stream of particles coming from the outer layer of the Sun. Because Mercury is so hot, these atoms quickly escape into space. Unlike the stable atmospheres of Earth and Venus, Mercury's atmosphere is constantly being replenished. //

https://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/ask/26-Does-Mercury-have-an-atmosphere-

Definitely not a place for life as we know it.

[Zacs-Master]

NASA describes it as an exosphere, rather than an atmosphere.

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/mercury/in-depth/#:~:text=Instead%20of%20an%20atmosphere%2C%20Mercury,solar%20wind%20and%20striking%20meteoroids.

[Arksided]

I didn’t think that would matter if life existed in water under the ice.

[Zacs-Master]

From my NASA link:
‘Mercury's environment is not conducive to life as we know it. The temperatures and solar radiation that characterize this planet are most likely too extreme for organisms to adapt to’

[Arksided]

It might be those extreme conditions that kick started life. Shame they only think inside their scientific bubble. Life as we know it, here on Earth we find life where it shouldn’t be possible to exist.

[naomi24]

Arksided, // Shame they only think inside their scientific bubble. //

I couldn't agree more.

[malagabob]

Does Mercury rotate. I seem no believe no. One side is constantly facing the sun. The other facing away. Ideal for a frozen side.

[naomi24]

It does, but slowly.

[Arksided]

That is indeed true but means it rotates once each orbit like our moon.

[mibn2cweus]

Why wouldn't there be water on Mercury? There is sure a lot of mercury in Earth's water.

[Zacs-Master]

‘It might be those extreme conditions that kick started life. Shame they only think inside their scientific bubble’

Yes indeed, a shame that career scientists working for NASA have come to this conclusion. Much better for people on an Internet forum with no expertise in the subject to come to an alternative conclusion, eh?

[Gromit]

So Mercury has water and heat.
The next probe there should deploy a teabag, and celebrate with a cup of tea :-)

[Chipchopper]

When you explore extreme conditions on earth where life is viable, such as the geysers of yellow stone, the deep sea, arid deserts frozen polars etc, in harsh conditions, the possibility life, although it may be only microbial, is certainly food for thought imo.

[New Judge]

//Does Mercury rotate. //

Yes it does. It is in 3:2 "captured rotation" or "tidal lock" with the Sun. It rotates on its axis three times (each taking 59 Earth days) for two orbits of the Sun (each taking 88 Earth days). So each of its "days" lasts two thirds of its "year".

The same is apparent with the Moon and the Earth. Those two bodies are locked (near enough) 1:1. The Moon takes 28 days to turn on its axis and also takes the same time to orbit the Earth. So the same part of the Moon is always facing the Earth, giving rise to the phrase "the dark side of the Moon" (even though it is not dark at all because it is exposed to the Sun).

These are no mere coincidences. The phenomenon occurs over time when the "tidal effect" of one rotating body on the other causes its rotation to slow until it is locked with its neighbour. It is usually the smaller of the two bodies which becomes locked though it can be both. Because of this effect the Earth's period of rotation on its axis is gradually slowing down and the Moon is gradually moving away from the Earth. There are other forces at play in this phenomenon but recent models show that the length of the Earth's day is increasing by about 1.8 milliseconds per century.

[ClareTGold]

// ‘It might be those extreme conditions that kick started life. Shame they only think inside their scientific bubble’

Yes indeed, a shame that career scientists working for NASA have come to this conclusion. Much better for people on an Internet forum with no expertise in the subject to come to an alternative conclusion, eh? //

Maybe life does exist on Mercury, maybe it doesn't. But it seems at least the wrong place to focus your efforts and resources on looking, when Mars, Titan, Enceladus, Europa and so on. I suspect that's what NASA has in mind when it says "most likely too extreme" -- it's almost certainly not going to harbour life, so why prioritise looking there?

I do think that life, in one form or another, will likely exist wherever it's even remotely possible to do so, though. But it's not merely about being stuck inside a scientific bubble, it's also about where the most sensible place to start looking (and, for that matter, spend a lot of time, effort, money, and resources) will be. Mercury is not it.