MyQJ | QJ.NET | iPhone | MMORPG | Nintendo DS | Wii | PlayStation 3 | PSP | Xbox 360 | Downloads | QJ.NET Forums | Advertise on QJ!

NASA: Mercury flyby results in, 'Spider' spotted

Posted Jan 31, 2008 at 06:18PM by Ceasar S. Listed in: Science Tags: NASA, crater, Brown University, magnetic field
Ó

NASA: Mercury flyby results in, 'Spider' spotted - Image 1 


NASA's Messenger, short for Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging, was able to complete the first of three passes over the planet Mercury. And judging from NASA's initial data of the 124 square kilometers of surface covered by the spacecraft, they already have a lot to ponder about. The most significant wonder, however, is a mysterious impact crater now called the "Spider".

NASA: Mercury flyby results in, 'Spider' spotted - Image 1Or at least some people think the Spider is some form of crater, as it appeared to be a large circular formation with some spherical depth. And stemming out from the central circle was a collection of more than 50 surface fissures, or cracks, that gave scientists a reason to take a second look.

Why? Well, it's because this is the first type of "impact crater" they've found in our solar system that has this peculiar structure. "The Spider has a crater near its center, but whether that crater is related to the original formation or came later is not clear at this time," said James Head, a science team co-investigator from Brown University, Rhode Island.

 "It's a real mystery, a very unexpected find," said Louise Prockter, a scientist from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. This was the same institute that built the US$ 446 million spacecraft currently scouting Mercury.

But then that wasn't the only discovery that perplexed scientists. Messenger also sent out readings of a magnetic field enveloping the entire planet. It is speculated that the field can also shield Mercury's surface from cosmic rays and solar storms, much like Earth's own magnetosphere.

The field apparently wasn't detected when the Mariner 10 probe successfully flew by Mercury three times back in 1975. NASA says that Messenger was able to take readings from Mercury, which they believe could prove useful in determining how the shield could exist. By 2011, the Messenger will be the first spacecraft in history to orbit the planet closest to the sun.

Image of the "Spider" courtesy of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Permalink  |   Email this  |   Linking Blogs   |   Digg It!

Bookmark / Find this article on:

16 Jumps     Confirmed: PSP FW 5.00 required for PSP Store, may go live next week
15 Jumps     LittleBigPlanet early copies unboxed
11 Jumps     TGS 2008: Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep single-player gameplay
9 Jumps     TGS 2008: A peek at Sony's PlayStation Store for PSP
9 Jumps     Rumor: DSi Kingdom Hearts 358/2 bundle coming, has GBA support?
9 Jumps     Happy holidays from Microsoft: Xbox 360 SKUs to be bundled with free g..
7 Jumps     PSP homebrew - Rain's IPL Injection Test v1.1
7 Jumps     PSP Pandora Deluxe v2.3: 1.50 kernel addon selection fix, more support..
7 Jumps     WipEout HD gets patched in Europe, freeze bugs fixed
6 Jumps     Deja vu: Fallout 3 leaked, thousands downloading via torrent

2 Comments


Sort by:
   by Advertising -
   by tacopalypse - 2008-02-01
 » aliens.
yes it is.


   Re: demonykangyl - 2008-02-06
 » Mercury "crater"
Hmm, curious, high EM field, this almost looks like a plug, could this object b the reason for for field? A hi-em field would make the planet "SAFE" 4 organic organisms, from radiation.. If said object created hi-em field, could it have been intentionally placed there by ??


Featured Content
Contact
QJ.NET Blog Network RSS Feeds
MyQJ Feed / PDA
MyQJ RSS / PDA
Blog of Blogs Feed / PDA
QJ.NET RSS / PDA
Gaming Consoles Feed / PDA
Nintendo DS RSS / PDA
PlayStation 3 RSS / PDA
PSP Updates RSS / PDA
Wii RSS / PDA
Xbox 360 RSS / PDA
PC Gaming Feed / PDA
Age of Conan RSS / PDA
Games for Windows RSS / PDA
MMORPG RSS / PDA
Tabula Rasa RSS / PDA
World of Warcraft RSS / PDA
Science Feed / PDA
Science RSS / PDA
Technology Feed / PDA
Apple RSS / PDA
Gadgets RSS / PDA
iPhone RSS / PDA
Mobile RSS / PDA
Photography RSS / PDA
Tech RSS / PDA
Add QJ.NET
Add to My Yahoo!
Google Reader Subscribe with Bloglines
Add to your Kinja digest Subscribe in NewsGator Online
Subscribe with Pluck RSS reader Add 'www.qj.net' to Newsburst from CNET News.com
Subscribe with SearchFox RSS del.icio.us www.qj.net
Add to Technorati Favorite! Add to My AOL
furl! it Stumble for Treehugger!
User Favorites - October
Most Commented
(111)
(81)
(47)
(45)
(40)
(40)
(34)
(31)
(29)
(28)
(28)
(27)
(27)
(23)
(23)
(22)
(22)
(21)
(21)
(21)
User Favorites - October
Top Jumps
Who said it was fake? Watch.. (146)
Rumor: PS2 emulator for the.. (135)
PlayStation Eye drivers for.. (132)
Dark AleX explains why PSP .. (128)
Rumored PSP FW 5.0 has PSN .. (115)
Rumor: PSP FW 5.0, PS3 FW 2.. (105)
PSPdisp v0.1: use your PSP .. (99)
PSP-3000 preview reveals ba.. (98)
PSP-3000 spotted at Best Bu.. (97)
Confirmed: PSP FW 5.00 requ.. (84)
Narisokonai Eiyuutan: new I.. (84)
Rumor alert: all PSP games .. (83)
Sony job listing hints at L.. (77)
PlayStation 3 Flow Rebuilde.. (70)
PSP Homebrew - OpenBOR v2.2.. (70)
PSP-Maps 2.0: basic GPS sup.. (66)
Buyout rumor: EA eyeing Epi.. (62)
Grand Theft Auto IV full tr.. (61)
Report: newer PS3 models sw.. (55)
PSP-3000 box hints direct P.. (55)
PSP Homebrew - RemoteJoyLit.. (55)
Sony: PS3 selling 30 percen.. (54)
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd.. (53)
TGS 2008: PSP Store, Ad Hoc.. (53)
Iwata: DSi not after iPhone.. (51)

 Username: 
 Password:
Forgot password
New user registration



Categories

Archives


Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the TERMS & CONDITIONS and PRIVACY POLICY
Copyright © 2006, Content Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Version. 1.31