What question did this study set out to answer?

Determine the presence, source, and atmospheric abundance of sodium in Mercury's atmosphere.

August 16, 1985Science

Discovery of Sodium in the Atmosphere of Mercury

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Determine the presence, source, and atmospheric abundance of sodium in Mercury's atmosphere.
Measured optical emission features at the Fraunhofer sodium D lines using planetary spectroscopy.
Modeled resonant sunlight scattering to estimate atmospheric column abundance and subsolar surface density.
Benchmarked observed sodium densities against helium abundance figures established by the Mariner 10 mission.
Detected intense sodium D line emission features attributed to resonant sunlight scattering from atmospheric sodium vapor.
Calculated a total atmospheric column abundance of 8.1 x 10^11 atoms/cm^2, equating to a subsolar surface density of 1.5 x 10^5 atoms/cm^3.
Demonstrated that sodium surface density exceeds the Mariner 10 helium benchmark of 4.5 x 10^3 atoms/cm^3, identifying sodium vapor as a major atmospheric constituent.

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Implication

Spectroscopic analysis reveals prominent sodium vapor emission lines on Mercury, indicating that sodium is a primary constituent of the planetary atmosphere.

Cite This Study

Potter et al. (1985) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a6cfccc660549caf2c2b81b https://doi.org/10.1126/science.229.4714.651

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Implication

Spectroscopic analysis reveals prominent sodium vapor emission lines on Mercury, indicating that sodium is a primary constituent of the planetary atmosphere.

Discovery of Sodium in the Atmosphere of Mercury

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Discovery of Sodium in the Atmosphere of Mercury

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Implication

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