Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1774467 | Icarus | 2010 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
We measure Na/K ratio between 80 and 400 with values between 60 and 90 when the telescope was pointed towards the subsolar region of Mercury's disk and much larger value when we looked to other part of the exosphere. Moreover, we observed that the Na and K exospheres display very different spatial distributions. Even if these two species are probably ejected with very similar mechanisms from the surface, their differences in mass and sensitivity to solar pressure acceleration imply very different behavior in Mercury's exosphere.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Space and Planetary Science
Authors
A. Doressoundiram, F. Leblanc, C. Foellmi, A. Gicquel, G. Cremonese, J.-F. Donati, C. Veillet,