The planet Mercury is shrinking far faster than we thought:
The planet’s “wrinkles” give scientists a clue into how the world is contracting in size
scientificamerican.com/article/the-planet-mercury-is-shrinking-far-faster-than-we-thought/
Photo: scientificamerican.com · view article
New Analysis Suggests Mercury Shrank More Than EstimatedA surface analysis estimates Mercury’s contraction was 10 to 30 percent greater than earlier calculations.
Key FactsSep 11, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: scientificamerican.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: scientificamerican.com
- Mercury has contracted while cooling for 4.5 billion years, producing hills and ridges known as shortening structures.
- Rough terrain and impact debris can conceal these structures; accounting for them increased the estimate by 10 to 30 percent.
- Earlier calculations indicated about 11 kilometers, whereas the new study suggests the contraction may have reached 23 kilometers.
- Because no spacecraft has examined beneath Mercury’s surface, researchers rely on data from distant satellites.
Do those worlds next!— Paul Byrne, planetary scientist at Washington University in St. Louis, urging that we explore other worlds next.
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first planet from the Solar System and smallest among all, tellurian and with extreme temperatures
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