München 2019 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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EP: Fachverband Extraterrestrische Physik

EP 8: Planets and Exoplanets

EP 8.1: Hauptvortrag

Donnerstag, 21. März 2019, 14:15–14:45, HS 9

Mercury, the Innermost Planet: State of Knowledge and Prospects for the BepiColombo Mission — •Hauke Hussmann — DLR Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, Germany

After its successful launch on Oct 20 2018, ESA's BepiColombo mission is on its way to Mercury the innermost planet of the solar system. Mercury is an intriguing planetary object with respect to its dynamical state and evolution. The planet is differentiated and contains a large iron core overlain by a relatively thin silicate mantle and crust. Mercury is locked in a unique 3:2 spin-orbit coupling (three rotations around its axis equal two revolutions about the sun), and its intrinsic magnetic dipole field tells us that at least part of Mercury's iron core is liquid. From libration measurements (small periodic changes in the planet's spin-rate) it has been concluded that Mercury's outer core is liquid, decoupling the silicate mantle from the deep interior. Phases of global contraction and phases of volcanic activity constrain the thermal evolution of the planet. Here the current knowledge on the evolution of Mercury, focusing on its dynamical, rotational and orbital state is summarized. Prospects for investigations with BepiColombo and its various instruments will be discussed.