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For thousands of years,
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planet Mercury
has baffled astronomers,
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00:00:06,890 --> 00:00:11,130
but now its secrets
have been revealed.
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It's a bizarre world
unlike any other.
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When you look at
the family of planets
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that make up our
solar system, you know,
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Mercury does seem to be
a little bit of a weirdo.
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This is one tough world,
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surviving brutal attacks
from comets, the Sun,
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and even other planets.
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You could see by
the surface of Mercury
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that it has a lot
of battle scars.
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The solar system
did not treat it well.
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And yet, this world
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has been brought to life
with water ice,
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volcanism,
and tectonic activity.
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If I had to describe
Mercury in a word,
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it would be "surprising."
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At first, it may seem
that you could write this off
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as a dull, little dead rock
close to the Sun,
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but Mercury has a story to tell.
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And this story could end
with Mercury threatening
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the very existence
of planet Earth.
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Ignore it at your peril
because there may come a day
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when Mercury makes its presence
very well known indeed.
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2015, the messenger spacecraft
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completes its final orbit
around planet Mercury.
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And the images
sent back to Earth
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during its mission
left scientists stunned.
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Our view of Mercury from before
and after the messenger probe
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is like having terrible
vision your whole life
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and then finally going
to the optometrist
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and getting glasses
that clear everything up,
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and it completely
opened our eyes
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to what this planet looks like.
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Mercury orbits
the innermost solar system,
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the closest planet to the Sun...
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around three times closer
than Earth,
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in a scorching environment
of lethal heat and radiation.
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Capturing images was
a monumental challenge
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for the messenger mission
team led by Sean Soloman.
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Mercury has been among
the most difficult planets
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in the solar system to study.
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The Hubble space telescope
is forbidden from viewing
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planet Mercury because it's
too close to the Sun,
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and their optics would be
severely damaged.
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Messenger looks closer
than we ever have before.
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It reveals a strange world,
just 5% the mass of the Earth,
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closer in size to our moon.
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At first glance,
Mercury and Earth,
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they're nothing alike, right?
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They're both made of rocks.
That's about it.
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They're both orbiting
the same sun,
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but when you start looking
a little bit closer at Mercury,
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you start to see some
really surprising similarities
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to Earth.
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When scientists look at Mercury,
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00:03:31,260 --> 00:03:34,860
they spot something
that shouldn't be there.
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Mercury has water on it,
which if you were going to make
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a long list of all
the discoveries about Mercury,
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I think water would be right
at the top of
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"what? What? Seriously?"
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If you thought in advance
of the last place in the world
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to find water,
you'd think of Mercury
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because it's so close
to the Sun.
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It gets even stranger.
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The water exists
in the form of ice.
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There could even be
a trillion tons of it,
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enough to encase
Washington, D.C.,
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in a frozen block 2 miles thick.
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00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:14,940
So how do you get frozen water
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00:04:14,940 --> 00:04:17,570
onto the closest planet
to the Sun?
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For me, I think the most
interesting thing about Mercury
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is the fact that what should be
the hottest planet
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in the solar system is,
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in some parts,
among the coldest,
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and I love that paradox
because I love the unexpected.
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Mercury is a world
of brutal extremes.
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The Sun-facing side is blasted
by solar radiation...
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With temperatures rocketing
to 800 degrees Fahrenheit,
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hot enough to melt lead,
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but the side facing away
plummets to -300.
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It's all because of Mercury's
almost nonexistent atmosphere.
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00:05:02,890 --> 00:05:06,250
Planetary scientist Dan Durda
demonstrates the effect
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this has using a campfire.
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So right now, with this jacket
on, holding the warmth in,
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I'm a bit like a planet
with an atmosphere.
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00:05:15,900 --> 00:05:17,730
The atmosphere of a planet,
it's a thermal blanket,
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a thermal insulator, that
helps make more uniform
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the temperature
of the entire planet.
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So at the moment,
I'm pretty warm uniformly,
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00:05:23,870 --> 00:05:28,810
but if I take my jacket
off altogether,
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well, you know, I can already
feel my back cooling off.
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Sitting here without my jacket,
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without an atmosphere,
if you will,
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I'm like the planet Mercury
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which has no effective
atmosphere,
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and therefore the only warmth
that it can hold
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is the warmth radiating directly
on it from the Sun itself.
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Any parts of Mercury facing
away from the Sun
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very rapidly radiate
that heat off to space
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and cool to very,
very chilly temperatures.
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So could water ice
survive on the side of Mercury
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00:06:02,210 --> 00:06:05,010
facing away from the Sun?
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00:06:05,010 --> 00:06:07,950
The nighttime side is
very bitterly cold.
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00:06:07,950 --> 00:06:10,520
If that were the end
of the story,
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you might be able to have,
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you know, frozen water,
icy water, on the side
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of Mercury facing away
from the Sun.
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But Mercury doesn't keep one
side always locked to the Sun
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and one side always facing away.
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It actually does rotate.
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It rotates three times
for every two trips
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it takes around the Sun.
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As Mercury turns,
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the Sun would vaporize
any water ice facing it.
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But are there secret
hiding places
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where the Sun cannot reach?
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To find the answer,
planetary scientist Nina Lanza
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searches fissures in Iceland.
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So here we can see,
at the surface, there's no ice.
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It's too warm, but if we look
down in this fissure here,
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it's only about 20 feet deep,
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but at the bottom,
there's actually some ice.
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So if we measure a rock
that's been in the Sun,
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let's say this one, we can see
it's actually pretty warm.
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It's about 61 degrees
Fahrenheit,
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00:07:13,220 --> 00:07:16,680
but if we aim, now, for the
bottom of this hollow,
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we can see now,
it's about 33... nope.
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It's dropping.
It's 32 degrees Fahrenheit,
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and this is because
the Sun doesn't really
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get to the bottom of this place,
and that's the key.
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While this ice
is hidden in a fissure,
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on Mercury the ice
survives in craters
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on the planet's north pole,
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forever safe from the glare
of direct sunlight,
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because these craters
sit in a perfect spot.
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Mercury's axis doesn't tilt
very much compared to the Sun.
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The Earth's axis tilts
about 23 degrees,
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but Mercury is pretty much
straight up and down,
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and that means that as large
as the Sun is in the sky,
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there are craters on the poles
that sunlight never gets to.
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They're always cold.
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00:08:07,470 --> 00:08:09,670
So the surface of
Mercury is heated
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00:08:09,670 --> 00:08:12,040
and then cooled
as it moves around the Sun,
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but there are craters that are
always dark and always cold.
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Against all the odds,
despite everything that suggests
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this shouldn't happen,
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Mercury is a safe haven
for this water ice.
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The bottoms of these craters
are called cold traps
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because they're so cold
that any water
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that gets there stays
there basically forever.
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It can last literally
for billions of years.
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But where would it
have come from?
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It probably came from
comets and asteroids.
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Comets are giant chunks of ice.
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So if a comet hits Mercury,
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that's going to deliver
a lot of ice,
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and, in fact, we know
a lot of asteroids
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have ice on them as well.
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So both of these things
could deliver water to Mercury.
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Comets and asteroids
brought water ice
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to the innermost planets
of the solar system.
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This same water delivery system
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gave Earth the elements
needed for life.
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And though Mercury has
pockets of frozen water,
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the planet can never use it
to develop living organisms.
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What Mercury is really
showing us is that you can start
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with the same basic building
blocks for planets, right?
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You can have essentially
the same materials,
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but end up with very
different environments.
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Compared to the other planets,
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Mercury ended up as
the runt of the litter.
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But there's evidence
this wasn't always the case.
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Could this little world have
once been much, much bigger?
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We have theories for
how the planets first formed
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in our solar system,
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but Mercury just doesn't fit in.
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When you look at
the family of planets
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that make up our solar system,
you know,
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Mercury does seem to be
a little bit of a weirdo.
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On Earth, we have
a relatively small core
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and a thick mantle
and a thin crust.
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So you compare the core of the
Earth to the size of the Earth,
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it's relatively small.
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If you look at Mercury,
it's not that way at all.
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The core is absolutely huge
compared to the planet itself.
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Mercury's huge
iron core is surrounded
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by an unusually
thin mantle of rock.
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It just looks odd.
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It's funny.
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You don't expect to get
a core that large
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in a planet that small.
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It's almost as if Mercury lost
some of its mantle somewhere.
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I mean, maybe it left it
behind the couch.
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00:11:00,940 --> 00:11:02,840
Who knows?
But it's gone now.
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00:11:04,550 --> 00:11:08,380
But how can this
material just vanish?
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00:11:08,380 --> 00:11:10,990
Mercury could be
the way it is now
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because it started as
a much larger planet
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and then something happened to
strip away the top layer of it,
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and the only way
we know how to do that
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on a planetary scale is
with planetary impacts.
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Picture the early solar system
when Mercury is still forming.
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It's completely different from
the little world we know now.
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Up to four times more massive,
twice the mass of Mars,
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but it orbits
in a shooting gallery.
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00:11:46,660 --> 00:11:50,620
Impacts are inevitable,
and before long,
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an object the size of our moon
smashes into Mercury
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in a giant impact event.
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This is apocalyptic.
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This is the sweatiest
nightmare you can have.
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You're resurfacing
an entire planet.
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The energies are vast.
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One of these giant impacts
probably would have remelted it
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00:12:12,850 --> 00:12:14,050
all the way through.
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00:12:14,050 --> 00:12:15,920
What's going to remain
after it's done
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00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:17,080
is completely different
220
00:12:17,090 --> 00:12:19,490
than what started
in the first place.
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00:12:19,490 --> 00:12:26,760
It's hard to overstate just
how impactful these events are.
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Huge chunks of Mercury's mantle
are flung into space.
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00:12:30,970 --> 00:12:33,400
The result?
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00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:38,470
Two-thirds of its mass
are now made up by its core,
225
00:12:38,470 --> 00:12:41,780
but where did the rest of it go?
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00:12:41,780 --> 00:12:43,580
Billions of years ago,
there was a planet
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00:12:43,580 --> 00:12:45,050
that we will never know,
228
00:12:45,050 --> 00:12:48,680
a planet that was destroyed when
the current Mercury was formed.
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00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:52,590
Is it possible that some of it
may still be out there?
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The lost mantle debris
could still exist
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in the innermost solar system.
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Scientists call these
hypothetical objects vulcanoids.
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00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:09,670
Vulcanoids can be very valuable
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00:13:09,670 --> 00:13:11,840
for understanding
the formation of Mercury
235
00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:13,410
because some of these vulcanoids
236
00:13:13,410 --> 00:13:17,110
may be pieces of
Mercury's missing mantle.
237
00:13:17,110 --> 00:13:19,080
But in order to survive,
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00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:21,920
these vulcanoids
would have to orbit
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00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:24,750
on a gravitational tightrope.
240
00:13:24,750 --> 00:13:27,320
You know, like this marshmallow,
vulcanoids exist
241
00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:31,690
in kind of a precarious
position in the solar system,
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00:13:31,690 --> 00:13:35,830
a little too close to the fire,
a little too close to the Sun,
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00:13:35,830 --> 00:13:38,030
those objects actually
would vaporize away,
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00:13:38,030 --> 00:13:39,130
kind of like that.
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00:13:41,770 --> 00:13:43,300
If you orbit too far
from the Sun,
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00:13:43,310 --> 00:13:45,310
you're going to approach
too closely to Mercury
247
00:13:45,310 --> 00:13:47,170
and have gravitational
encounters,
248
00:13:47,180 --> 00:13:51,010
maybe get flung out of the solar
system or maybe just impact
249
00:13:51,010 --> 00:13:53,580
Mercury itself
and get eaten, if you will.
250
00:13:55,920 --> 00:13:57,990
But in-between
those two extremes,
251
00:13:57,990 --> 00:14:00,150
at just the right
distance from the Sun,
252
00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:02,160
a little closer
to the Sun than Mercury,
253
00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,390
but not so close
that you get fried,
254
00:14:04,390 --> 00:14:08,600
is this vulcanoid region where
objects in orbit around the Sun
255
00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:10,630
could remain
gravitationally stable
256
00:14:10,630 --> 00:14:12,800
over the entire age
of the solar system.
257
00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:15,740
That's the place to look
for this potential population
258
00:14:15,740 --> 00:14:18,110
of little asteroid-like objects.
259
00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:22,710
We know where they should be,
260
00:14:22,710 --> 00:14:25,710
but there's a problem.
261
00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:27,310
You may wonder why haven't
262
00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:29,820
we seen these vulcanoids
if they actually exist?
263
00:14:29,820 --> 00:14:32,320
If they're actually orbiting,
why don't we just look for them?
264
00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:36,090
Well, it's because they're
really close to the Sun.
265
00:14:36,090 --> 00:14:38,090
Unlike the asteroids
or the Kuiper belt objects
266
00:14:38,090 --> 00:14:40,790
where we're looking out
away from the Sun
267
00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:42,130
from our perspective
here on the Earth,
268
00:14:42,130 --> 00:14:44,770
we're looking out into
the dark nighttime sky,
269
00:14:44,770 --> 00:14:46,570
in the case of the vulcanoids,
we're looking for something
270
00:14:46,570 --> 00:14:48,240
very, very close to the Sun,
271
00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,270
in close to that really
brilliant light source.
272
00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:58,250
Our sun is around
900,000 miles across.
273
00:14:58,250 --> 00:15:02,020
Mercury is just 3,000.
274
00:15:02,020 --> 00:15:06,290
When our telescopes see Mercury
passing in front of the Sun,
275
00:15:06,290 --> 00:15:09,690
it's little more
than a pinprick.
276
00:15:09,690 --> 00:15:12,190
With vulcanoids, we're searching
for something
277
00:15:12,190 --> 00:15:16,700
thousands of times
smaller than Mercury.
278
00:15:16,700 --> 00:15:20,570
If vulcanoids exist,
they orbit in a blind spot,
279
00:15:23,010 --> 00:15:26,370
but scientists will keep
searching for them
280
00:15:26,380 --> 00:15:30,410
because they could be
the last surviving remnants
281
00:15:30,410 --> 00:15:33,250
of Mercury's lost mantle.
282
00:15:33,250 --> 00:15:36,880
If we were to discover
vulcanoids, that would offer us
283
00:15:36,890 --> 00:15:39,790
an entirely new population
of objects to study.
284
00:15:39,790 --> 00:15:42,790
This material could offer
some rather unique insight
285
00:15:42,790 --> 00:15:45,030
into the formation
of Mercury itself.
286
00:15:47,130 --> 00:15:52,000
A giant head-on impact
has been our best explanation
287
00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,170
for Mercury's weird structure.
288
00:15:58,810 --> 00:16:01,180
But now there's a
startling new theory
289
00:16:01,180 --> 00:16:03,380
for Mercury's missing mantle.
290
00:16:05,210 --> 00:16:09,350
It was stolen,
but who is the thief?
291
00:16:20,830 --> 00:16:23,930
For years,
we assumed that Mercury lost
292
00:16:23,930 --> 00:16:27,770
most of its mantle
in a giant head-on collision.
293
00:16:32,340 --> 00:16:36,140
But the messenger spacecraft
turned everything on its head.
294
00:16:37,750 --> 00:16:39,510
One of the exciting things
that we've learned
295
00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:40,750
about Mercury recently
296
00:16:40,750 --> 00:16:42,520
by sending probes
to study its surface
297
00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:44,250
is that its surface
is littered with material
298
00:16:44,250 --> 00:16:46,720
that we didn't think
should be there,
299
00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,460
things that we'd call volatiles.
300
00:16:49,460 --> 00:16:53,990
The volatiles are chemical
elements like potassium.
301
00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:56,660
They're called volatile...
302
00:16:56,670 --> 00:17:00,670
Because they evaporate
easily in high temperatures,
303
00:17:00,670 --> 00:17:06,540
just the sorts of temperatures
generated by a giant impact.
304
00:17:06,540 --> 00:17:08,640
If I had to describe
Mercury in a word,
305
00:17:08,640 --> 00:17:11,150
it would be "surprising."
306
00:17:11,150 --> 00:17:14,680
The idea was that a smaller
object ran into Mercury
307
00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:16,350
and knocked off material.
308
00:17:16,350 --> 00:17:19,250
Well, that actually would work
to make it lose material,
309
00:17:19,260 --> 00:17:21,460
but it would also generate
a lot of heat,
310
00:17:21,460 --> 00:17:24,220
and because of that, the
volatile materials on Mercury
311
00:17:24,230 --> 00:17:26,030
would also have been lost.
312
00:17:26,030 --> 00:17:28,000
But today, we see that
they're still there.
313
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:32,430
So it meant that most of the
basic scenarios that have been
314
00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:35,770
laid out for how Mercury was
assembled had been disproven.
315
00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:40,110
We had to go back
to the drawing board
316
00:17:40,110 --> 00:17:42,780
and rethink how
Mercury was assembled
317
00:17:42,780 --> 00:17:45,410
and how Mercury evolved.
318
00:17:45,410 --> 00:17:48,320
How did Mercury lose its mantle
319
00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:51,390
but retain these volatiles?
320
00:17:51,390 --> 00:17:53,620
Mercury is like
a detective case.
321
00:17:53,620 --> 00:17:55,590
We have the body.
We have some clues,
322
00:17:55,590 --> 00:17:58,330
but we really have to
piece it together.
323
00:17:58,330 --> 00:18:00,930
Planetary scientist Erik Asphaug
324
00:18:00,930 --> 00:18:03,530
tackles this giant riddle.
325
00:18:03,530 --> 00:18:05,030
The original idea was that
326
00:18:05,030 --> 00:18:08,440
Mercury was hit by something
smaller than itself.
327
00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:10,800
But whatever process
made Mercury
328
00:18:10,810 --> 00:18:14,210
somehow preserved
all these volatiles
329
00:18:14,210 --> 00:18:17,310
that should have
vaporized and gone.
330
00:18:17,310 --> 00:18:20,750
Erik has a bold alternative,
331
00:18:20,750 --> 00:18:23,620
a hit-and-run collision.
332
00:18:23,620 --> 00:18:26,090
In the hit-and-run collision
idea, you actually have
333
00:18:26,090 --> 00:18:28,860
Mercury hitting something
bigger than itself
334
00:18:28,860 --> 00:18:31,660
without losing
all of its volatiles.
335
00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:37,830
Hitting something
bigger may sound even worse,
336
00:18:37,830 --> 00:18:40,470
but it all depends
on how you hit it.
337
00:18:42,370 --> 00:18:47,670
In the early solar system,
there were a lot of players,
338
00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:51,680
and just like a hockey match,
things got brutal.
339
00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:57,750
You would have had planetesimals
growing through collisions.
340
00:18:57,750 --> 00:18:59,850
The bigger objects
would have dominated
341
00:18:59,860 --> 00:19:02,720
because not only are they
running into smaller objects,
342
00:19:02,730 --> 00:19:05,630
they're drawing them
to themselves gravitationally,
343
00:19:05,630 --> 00:19:08,830
and two objects will sweep up
most of the matter.
344
00:19:08,830 --> 00:19:12,000
Those two objects
became Venus and Earth.
345
00:19:13,270 --> 00:19:15,370
Earth and Venus
are the enforcers
346
00:19:15,370 --> 00:19:18,040
of the inner solar system,
347
00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:19,840
wiping out most
of the competition.
348
00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:23,380
Whoo!
349
00:19:23,380 --> 00:19:26,980
Little Mercury is one
of the last players left,
350
00:19:26,980 --> 00:19:30,850
and it could have
a faceoff with Earth.
351
00:19:30,850 --> 00:19:33,450
Mercury is the little guy
in this thing,
352
00:19:33,460 --> 00:19:36,160
and this hockey puck
is our volatiles.
353
00:19:40,030 --> 00:19:42,230
The little guy comes in
at a high speed
354
00:19:42,230 --> 00:19:45,570
and has a head-on collision
with the big guy.
355
00:19:45,570 --> 00:19:47,370
It is catastrophic.
356
00:19:50,910 --> 00:19:52,970
But suppose now,
instead of hitting him
357
00:19:52,980 --> 00:19:54,370
in a head-on collision,
358
00:19:54,380 --> 00:19:56,180
he hits him in a glancing blow.
359
00:20:03,490 --> 00:20:05,950
So he might knock off
a little bit of equipment,
360
00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:09,260
but Mercury just keeps on going
and keeps his hockey puck.
361
00:20:12,700 --> 00:20:16,460
A head-on impact would send
a shockwave across Mercury,
362
00:20:16,470 --> 00:20:18,900
melting the entire surface.
363
00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:25,970
But a glancing blow
is less ferocious.
364
00:20:25,980 --> 00:20:27,980
The more grazing
you hit something,
365
00:20:27,980 --> 00:20:32,910
the less energy you bring
to bear, the less violent it is.
366
00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:35,950
In the grazing collision
is where piece of the surface
367
00:20:35,950 --> 00:20:38,320
has grazed off
and blasted into space,
368
00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:41,760
and the other hemisphere of
the body is largely unaffected
369
00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:44,120
and allowed some
primordial material
370
00:20:44,130 --> 00:20:46,390
to remain on the surface.
371
00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:51,200
Most of Mercury's
mantle is stripped away,
372
00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,130
but this grazing impact
373
00:20:53,140 --> 00:20:56,570
doesn't send a shockwave
through the planet,
374
00:20:56,570 --> 00:21:01,710
and so the volatiles remain
along with enough of the mantle
375
00:21:01,710 --> 00:21:06,210
to reshape this world
with a thin outer layer of rock.
376
00:21:09,890 --> 00:21:13,220
Mercury was transformed
into the smallest planet
377
00:21:13,220 --> 00:21:16,160
in the solar system,
378
00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:20,830
and its lost mantle was stolen
by an unexpected thief.
379
00:21:22,530 --> 00:21:25,030
That mantle accretes onto
the biggest object around,
380
00:21:25,030 --> 00:21:29,040
but the biggest object
around isn't Mercury.
381
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:32,210
When Mercury's mantle got
knocked off in this collision,
382
00:21:32,210 --> 00:21:33,410
it had to go somewhere.
383
00:21:33,410 --> 00:21:35,740
So if you're looking for
Mercury's missing mantle,
384
00:21:35,740 --> 00:21:37,980
look no further than right
under your feet.
385
00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:45,390
To this day, part of
Mercury could be part of Earth,
386
00:21:45,390 --> 00:21:48,160
stolen in a hit-and-run
collision.
387
00:21:49,890 --> 00:21:53,060
Mercury was able to survive the
formation of the solar system,
388
00:21:53,060 --> 00:21:54,360
but it paid a cost.
389
00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:57,930
It was battered.
390
00:21:57,930 --> 00:22:02,540
Since day one,
Mercury has had a tough ride.
391
00:22:02,540 --> 00:22:06,970
It's been pounded by the Sun
and planets,
392
00:22:06,980 --> 00:22:09,410
and things have not
improved since.
393
00:22:09,410 --> 00:22:11,310
You can see by the surface
of Mercury
394
00:22:11,310 --> 00:22:13,680
that it has a lot
of battle scars.
395
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,080
The solar system did not
treat it well.
396
00:22:17,890 --> 00:22:23,060
The planet has been
bombarded and fried,
397
00:22:23,060 --> 00:22:25,690
but these events
could help explain
398
00:22:25,690 --> 00:22:28,860
one of Mercury's
biggest mysteries.
399
00:22:28,860 --> 00:22:32,230
Why is the planet so dark?
400
00:22:43,810 --> 00:22:48,150
The solar system is full of
beautiful, colorful planets...
401
00:22:50,250 --> 00:22:54,190
but Mercury is different.
402
00:22:54,190 --> 00:22:58,990
Its dark gray surface
baffles scientists.
403
00:22:58,990 --> 00:23:00,360
One of the most
intriguing things
404
00:23:00,360 --> 00:23:03,060
is how dark the surface
of Mercury is.
405
00:23:03,070 --> 00:23:05,430
A big mystery in
the solar system is why?
406
00:23:05,430 --> 00:23:07,730
Why is Mercury like that?
407
00:23:07,740 --> 00:23:11,240
The rocky inner planets
all formed in the same region
408
00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:15,740
of the solar system
from similar materials,
409
00:23:15,740 --> 00:23:20,250
and yet Mercury is darker
than all of them.
410
00:23:20,250 --> 00:23:24,990
Some of the darkest surfaces
here on Earth are lava fields.
411
00:23:24,990 --> 00:23:29,460
Planetary scientist Nina Lanza
visits one in Iceland
412
00:23:29,460 --> 00:23:33,030
to find some common ground.
413
00:23:33,030 --> 00:23:35,960
The surface of a planet
records the history
414
00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:38,470
of all the processes
that have acted upon it.
415
00:23:38,470 --> 00:23:40,400
So when we look at
the surface of Mercury,
416
00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:42,840
we can piece
together that story.
417
00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:47,440
Right now, we're standing
on a basalt lava flow.
418
00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:49,810
Basalt is a type
of volcanic rock
419
00:23:49,810 --> 00:23:52,210
that's the building
block of all planets,
420
00:23:52,210 --> 00:23:55,320
so we know just by seeing
this basalt here,
421
00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:57,680
there was volcanic activity.
422
00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:04,560
On Earth, most basaltic rock
is covered by oceans.
423
00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:08,600
On Mercury,
the basalt is exposed.
424
00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:11,060
Old liquid lava flows
are visible
425
00:24:11,070 --> 00:24:15,400
as smooth channels
of solid rock.
426
00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,810
For a billion years
after Mercury's formation,
427
00:24:18,810 --> 00:24:22,280
lava explodes
from volcanic vents
428
00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:24,540
and leaks out from fissures.
429
00:24:26,820 --> 00:24:30,480
Could the volcanism explain
the dark world we see today?
430
00:24:32,420 --> 00:24:35,160
Basalt is a pretty
dark rock already,
431
00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:36,820
but what's so interesting
about Mercury
432
00:24:36,830 --> 00:24:40,090
is that it's actually
darker than basalt.
433
00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:43,630
So from the recent
messenger mission to Mercury,
434
00:24:43,630 --> 00:24:47,470
we had some ideas about what may
be making the surface so dark,
435
00:24:47,470 --> 00:24:48,600
and it's really strange.
436
00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:51,940
It's actually carbon
in the form of graphite,
437
00:24:51,940 --> 00:24:54,740
the mineral graphite, which
is what you find in a pencil.
438
00:24:54,740 --> 00:24:59,410
So that material is all over
the surface of Mercury,
439
00:24:59,410 --> 00:25:02,320
and it's incorporated
into the rocks.
440
00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:06,090
Carbon doesn't come
from basaltic rock,
441
00:25:06,090 --> 00:25:08,090
but there is something else
442
00:25:08,090 --> 00:25:12,460
that could have brought
carbon to Mercury...
443
00:25:12,460 --> 00:25:14,560
Comets.
444
00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:18,500
These dirty ice balls
contain carbon,
445
00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:22,940
and they've bombarded the planet
for billions of years.
446
00:25:22,940 --> 00:25:27,170
The evidence of these attacks
is etched into the surface.
447
00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:31,910
It's hard to look at Mercury
and not wince on occasion.
448
00:25:31,910 --> 00:25:34,610
It is really covered
with craters.
449
00:25:34,620 --> 00:25:37,080
It has been battered
and bruised.
450
00:25:37,090 --> 00:25:39,390
It really has just
been terribly,
451
00:25:39,390 --> 00:25:42,920
terribly mistreated
over its lifetime.
452
00:25:42,930 --> 00:25:47,830
Mercury has been hit
often and hard.
453
00:25:47,830 --> 00:25:49,560
Mercury is moving more rapidly
454
00:25:49,570 --> 00:25:51,130
around the Sun
than the Earth is,
455
00:25:51,130 --> 00:25:53,930
so a head-on impact
is going to be faster
456
00:25:53,940 --> 00:25:56,500
than a head-on impact
of a comet in the Earth.
457
00:25:56,510 --> 00:25:59,640
So pound for pound,
a comet impact on Mercury
458
00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:01,070
is much more energetic,
459
00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:04,140
will do much more damage
than an impact on Earth.
460
00:26:06,820 --> 00:26:09,250
If you've ever been to, like,
meteor crater in Arizona
461
00:26:09,250 --> 00:26:11,920
in the United States,
it's around a mile across.
462
00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:13,790
It's this huge crater.
463
00:26:13,790 --> 00:26:17,790
If you were to stick that crater
on Mercury, it would disappear.
464
00:26:17,790 --> 00:26:20,530
Mercury has so many craters
that are so much bigger
465
00:26:20,530 --> 00:26:22,830
than a mile across.
466
00:26:22,830 --> 00:26:27,000
Mercury's biggest
impact site is Caloris basin.
467
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:30,140
Over 1,000 times larger
than meteor crater,
468
00:26:30,140 --> 00:26:35,880
it's so big there are now other,
newer craters inside it...
469
00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:39,380
And Caloris basin
is coated in carbon.
470
00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:42,880
Comets have a lot
of carbon in them,
471
00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:45,250
and we know that
comets hit planets.
472
00:26:45,250 --> 00:26:47,220
So it's kind of obvious to say,
473
00:26:47,220 --> 00:26:48,290
"where did the carbon
come from?"
474
00:26:48,290 --> 00:26:51,390
Well, comets, but maybe not.
475
00:26:53,500 --> 00:26:58,830
In 2016, the messenger team
reveals an exciting new theory.
476
00:26:58,830 --> 00:27:01,200
Are the largest impact craters
477
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:05,170
actually exposing
something deeper?
478
00:27:05,170 --> 00:27:08,780
Impact craters are windows
into the lower parts
479
00:27:08,780 --> 00:27:10,710
of the crust of a planet,
480
00:27:10,710 --> 00:27:12,050
and the larger
the impact crater,
481
00:27:12,050 --> 00:27:14,150
the deeper the impact event
482
00:27:14,150 --> 00:27:17,150
has excavated
material from depth
483
00:27:17,150 --> 00:27:20,920
and brought it to where
we can see it at the surface.
484
00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:24,820
The craters reveal a twist.
485
00:27:24,830 --> 00:27:27,430
The carbon that makes
Mercury so dark
486
00:27:27,430 --> 00:27:30,360
had been there all along
487
00:27:30,370 --> 00:27:34,170
as part of the material
that first formed the planet.
488
00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:41,910
When young Mercury is hit,
parts of the surface
489
00:27:41,910 --> 00:27:46,610
are transformed
into an ocean of molten rock.
490
00:27:46,620 --> 00:27:50,420
As this magma ocean cools,
it solidifies,
491
00:27:50,420 --> 00:27:54,520
forming a crust,
492
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:58,090
and sitting on top
of this crust, graphite,
493
00:27:58,090 --> 00:28:02,260
the crystallized form of carbon.
494
00:28:02,260 --> 00:28:03,930
Carbon containing
minerals like graphite
495
00:28:03,930 --> 00:28:05,530
would end up near
the surface of Mercury
496
00:28:05,530 --> 00:28:07,130
at the top of that magma ocean
497
00:28:07,140 --> 00:28:10,340
because those minerals
are a lot less dense
498
00:28:10,340 --> 00:28:12,570
than the conventional
rocky minerals
499
00:28:12,570 --> 00:28:13,640
that contain a lot of, you know,
500
00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:15,680
iron and nickel.
Those are more dense.
501
00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:17,910
They tend to sink to
the center of the planet.
502
00:28:17,910 --> 00:28:19,980
Those lighter elements
like graphite
503
00:28:19,980 --> 00:28:21,680
would tend to float to the top.
504
00:28:24,250 --> 00:28:26,490
But volcanism covers the planet
505
00:28:26,490 --> 00:28:29,760
in new basalt lava flows
506
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:32,460
coming from deep
below the surface
507
00:28:32,460 --> 00:28:35,960
where the carbon didn't sink,
508
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:40,770
and this lava buries
Mercury's ancient crust.
509
00:28:40,770 --> 00:28:42,740
Over time, that carbon
is covered up
510
00:28:42,740 --> 00:28:44,640
by subsequent lava flows,
511
00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:46,070
but there was
this layer of carbon
512
00:28:46,070 --> 00:28:48,540
waiting underneath
the surface of Mercury,
513
00:28:48,540 --> 00:28:52,510
and as objects hit Mercury and
gouged out holes in the surface,
514
00:28:52,510 --> 00:28:57,250
it exposed this hidden
darker layer underneath.
515
00:28:57,250 --> 00:29:00,690
Covered by a billion
years of lava flows
516
00:29:00,690 --> 00:29:04,360
and revealed
by giant impact events,
517
00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:05,990
one this is for sure...
518
00:29:05,990 --> 00:29:11,400
Mercury's surface has been
a truly hellish landscape.
519
00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:13,270
Imagine that we're on
the surface of Mercury
520
00:29:13,270 --> 00:29:15,300
during that first billion years
521
00:29:15,300 --> 00:29:19,470
when volcanism was very active.
522
00:29:19,470 --> 00:29:23,240
Raining down from the sky,
all these comets and meteorites
523
00:29:23,250 --> 00:29:26,650
just pelting
the surface mercilessly,
524
00:29:26,650 --> 00:29:28,950
and then, beneath your feet,
525
00:29:28,950 --> 00:29:33,150
there'll be all this
molten rock bubbling up.
526
00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,020
Really an awful place to be
527
00:29:36,020 --> 00:29:38,060
in that first billion years
on Mercury.
528
00:29:40,330 --> 00:29:42,200
Over billions of years,
529
00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:48,030
comets and volcanism reshaped
the surface of Mercury,
530
00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:52,070
and this planet is not done yet.
531
00:29:52,070 --> 00:29:57,940
Scientists find giant cliffs
stretching hundreds of miles.
532
00:29:57,950 --> 00:30:01,850
It seems Mercury is alive.
533
00:30:13,730 --> 00:30:18,900
Mercury, a small,
dark world covered in craters
534
00:30:18,900 --> 00:30:22,070
and ancient lava flows,
535
00:30:22,070 --> 00:30:26,210
but scientists find
something else on the surface.
536
00:30:26,210 --> 00:30:32,450
Towering cliffs around 2 miles
high known as fault scarps.
537
00:30:32,450 --> 00:30:34,410
If you were walking
along one of these scarps
538
00:30:34,420 --> 00:30:35,880
on the surface of Mercury,
539
00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:37,680
there would be
this giant cliff face
540
00:30:37,690 --> 00:30:41,050
that would go on for miles
and miles well over the horizon,
541
00:30:41,060 --> 00:30:44,990
so you would be walking next
to an almost endless cliff.
542
00:30:44,990 --> 00:30:50,100
The largest fault
scarp is enterprise Rupes.
543
00:30:50,100 --> 00:30:54,600
At over 600 miles long, it would
span the width of Texas.
544
00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:59,340
We see fault scarps on Earth,
545
00:30:59,340 --> 00:31:01,940
evidence of tectonic activity.
546
00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:07,880
Planetary scientist
Jani Radebaugh visits a scarp
547
00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:10,150
in death valley to demonstrate.
548
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,990
This long, straight
line of shadows behind me
549
00:31:14,990 --> 00:31:18,090
formed because death valley
is still spreading apart
550
00:31:18,090 --> 00:31:19,830
and the material on the right
551
00:31:19,830 --> 00:31:22,030
has dropped down from
the material on the left
552
00:31:22,030 --> 00:31:25,100
and left a really
sharp fault scarp.
553
00:31:25,100 --> 00:31:26,830
The fault scarp
you see behind me,
554
00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:31,070
and the ones we see on Mercury,
are formed by tectonic forces,
555
00:31:31,070 --> 00:31:33,010
and this just means
that there are forces
556
00:31:33,010 --> 00:31:34,640
inside of the planets,
557
00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:38,610
and those forces cause
breaks in the crust.
558
00:31:41,550 --> 00:31:44,750
On Earth, transfer
of heat from the mantle
559
00:31:44,750 --> 00:31:49,290
drives the movement
of continental plates.
560
00:31:49,290 --> 00:31:52,530
These plates move around
the surface of the planet,
561
00:31:52,530 --> 00:31:54,230
interacting with each other...
562
00:31:57,530 --> 00:32:01,630
Building mountains, rift
valleys, even continents.
563
00:32:04,510 --> 00:32:06,610
Do the fault scarps on Mercury
564
00:32:06,610 --> 00:32:10,340
mean it also has
plate tectonics?
565
00:32:10,350 --> 00:32:12,380
When you think about
the Earth's plate tectonics,
566
00:32:12,380 --> 00:32:14,450
there are multiple
plates of rock
567
00:32:14,450 --> 00:32:18,420
that are moving around
on a layer of liquid rock below.
568
00:32:18,420 --> 00:32:21,420
Mercury, however, has basically
just one big plate.
569
00:32:21,420 --> 00:32:24,460
There's a solid surface
that covers the entire planet.
570
00:32:26,930 --> 00:32:31,930
Mercury has a
different kind of tectonics.
571
00:32:31,930 --> 00:32:35,840
Over billions of years,
its liquid core cools,
572
00:32:37,870 --> 00:32:43,980
and as the interior cools, the
planet shrinks around 9 miles.
573
00:32:43,980 --> 00:32:46,350
When something cools,
it contracts.
574
00:32:46,350 --> 00:32:49,520
It actually becomes smaller.
575
00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:54,090
Because of this contraction,
the rock and the crust wrinkles,
576
00:32:54,090 --> 00:32:56,760
creating massive scarps.
577
00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:59,630
You can imagine, if you take
a balloon and cover it in mud
578
00:32:59,630 --> 00:33:01,130
and let the mud dry,
579
00:33:01,130 --> 00:33:03,100
and then you let a little bit
of air out of the balloon,
580
00:33:03,100 --> 00:33:04,330
what's going to happen?
581
00:33:04,330 --> 00:33:06,000
Well, that mud is going to
try to contract as well,
582
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,740
but it can't, and so it'll crack
and snap like that,
583
00:33:09,740 --> 00:33:12,770
and you'll get these
thrust faults, these scarps.
584
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:17,940
But for Mercury,
the story doesn't end there.
585
00:33:20,150 --> 00:33:22,980
We understand that the large
fault scarps on Mercury formed
586
00:33:22,980 --> 00:33:25,450
a long time ago
when the planet was cooling
587
00:33:25,450 --> 00:33:28,190
and the crust was
shrinking and buckling,
588
00:33:28,190 --> 00:33:31,260
but more recently, messenger
has come very close to Mercury
589
00:33:31,260 --> 00:33:34,930
and has found really
small fault scarps.
590
00:33:34,930 --> 00:33:37,400
Unlike the giant
mile-high scarps,
591
00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:41,930
these small ones are less
than 200 feet in length.
592
00:33:41,940 --> 00:33:43,570
What does this mean?
593
00:33:43,570 --> 00:33:47,010
These are small scarps,
and the thing is,
594
00:33:47,010 --> 00:33:48,740
if those were really old,
595
00:33:48,740 --> 00:33:50,480
impacts would have erased them,
596
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:53,450
and so these should be
long gone off the surface.
597
00:33:53,450 --> 00:33:55,420
So that means that
they're recent.
598
00:33:55,420 --> 00:33:56,420
They're new.
599
00:33:56,420 --> 00:33:58,050
Right now, Mercury
has the record
600
00:33:58,050 --> 00:34:01,050
of being the smallest official
planet in the solar system,
601
00:34:01,060 --> 00:34:04,420
but is it possible the smallest
planet is still shrinking?
602
00:34:06,430 --> 00:34:10,130
Throughout its life,
Mercury has been bombarded.
603
00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:17,600
Impacts have cratered
the large, old fault scarps.
604
00:34:17,610 --> 00:34:22,810
The small scarps should be
covered in impact scars as well,
605
00:34:22,810 --> 00:34:28,050
but they're pristine, which
means that they're young,
606
00:34:28,050 --> 00:34:33,220
and that means Mercury
is still shrinking.
607
00:34:33,220 --> 00:34:36,390
Mercury is actually
still tectonically active.
608
00:34:36,390 --> 00:34:37,790
So the Earth is no longer
609
00:34:37,790 --> 00:34:40,460
the only tectonically active
planet in the solar system.
610
00:34:40,460 --> 00:34:43,200
We've seen that Mercury
has a surprising history.
611
00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:46,400
The thing is, the planet
itself is still cooling,
612
00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,800
still contracting, even after
all of these billions
613
00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:52,710
of years after it formed.
That's amazing.
614
00:34:52,710 --> 00:34:54,870
At first, it may seem
that you could write this off
615
00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:58,040
as a dull, little, dead rock
close to the Sun,
616
00:34:58,050 --> 00:35:01,050
but Mercury has a story to tell.
617
00:35:01,050 --> 00:35:04,380
A story that continues
to this day
618
00:35:04,390 --> 00:35:07,450
despite everything the
planet has gone through.
619
00:35:09,820 --> 00:35:11,790
Mercury has had it pretty
rough. It's had a tough time
620
00:35:11,790 --> 00:35:14,390
over the history
of the solar system.
621
00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:16,560
It has been tossed
around by planets.
622
00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:19,900
It has been impacted by
gigantic asteroids and comets.
623
00:35:19,900 --> 00:35:21,070
It is shrinking.
624
00:35:21,070 --> 00:35:23,100
It's bombarded
by solar radiation.
625
00:35:23,100 --> 00:35:25,200
That would tick anybody off,
626
00:35:25,210 --> 00:35:27,770
and it's entirely possible
that in the future,
627
00:35:27,780 --> 00:35:30,110
Mercury will get its revenge.
628
00:35:32,280 --> 00:35:35,880
Mercury could have
a final trick up its sleeve,
629
00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:39,490
one that threatens
our very existence.
630
00:35:53,870 --> 00:35:57,270
Messenger completes
its final orbit of Mercury...
631
00:35:59,610 --> 00:36:03,640
and crashes into
the planet's surface,
632
00:36:03,650 --> 00:36:06,010
a fitting conclusion for a world
633
00:36:06,010 --> 00:36:08,510
with a history of impacts.
634
00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:10,980
At the end of
the messenger mission,
635
00:36:10,990 --> 00:36:15,250
our view of Mercury had
been substantially changed.
636
00:36:15,260 --> 00:36:17,920
We suddenly had a picture
of a complete world,
637
00:36:17,930 --> 00:36:20,860
a place that had hellishly
high temperatures
638
00:36:20,860 --> 00:36:23,130
and yet ices of water,
639
00:36:23,130 --> 00:36:25,230
an evolution that didn't match
640
00:36:25,230 --> 00:36:29,270
that of any of its
sibling planets.
641
00:36:29,270 --> 00:36:34,410
Could Mercury's future be just
as unpredictable as its past?
642
00:36:34,410 --> 00:36:38,440
Right now, the future
of Mercury looks bright...
643
00:36:38,450 --> 00:36:42,650
Very, very bright.
644
00:36:42,650 --> 00:36:46,350
It's all thanks to
Mercury's massive neighbor.
645
00:36:46,350 --> 00:36:48,920
The Sun is a giant ball
of hydrogen and helium,
646
00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:52,020
and in the core, there's
a nuclear fusion reaction,
647
00:36:52,030 --> 00:36:55,630
but over time, the fuel that
the Sun runs on, hydrogen,
648
00:36:55,630 --> 00:36:57,100
will begin to die out.
649
00:36:57,100 --> 00:36:59,470
It will actually burn
through all of its fuel.
650
00:36:59,470 --> 00:37:03,040
When that happens,
in the final phases of its life,
651
00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:06,070
the Sun will bloat up
to become a red giant star,
652
00:37:06,070 --> 00:37:08,710
hundreds of times the size
that it currently is.
653
00:37:10,310 --> 00:37:15,210
As the Sun expands,
it will engulf Mercury.
654
00:37:15,220 --> 00:37:18,650
Being on the surface of Mercury
is bad enough right now.
655
00:37:18,650 --> 00:37:21,150
Now put it inside of a star.
656
00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:26,960
All of that heat
bombarding the planet
657
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:29,500
will literally boil it away.
658
00:37:31,570 --> 00:37:34,670
But is there a chance
that Mercury could escape
659
00:37:34,670 --> 00:37:37,700
this roasting?
660
00:37:37,710 --> 00:37:39,610
There's not just
the evolution of the Sun
661
00:37:39,610 --> 00:37:41,170
that we have to take
into account.
662
00:37:41,180 --> 00:37:44,310
The planets themselves
and their orbits are evolving.
663
00:37:44,310 --> 00:37:46,880
They look stable,
but over long time periods,
664
00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:48,480
they can change drastically.
665
00:37:52,550 --> 00:37:55,890
The Sun exerts the
strongest gravitational pull
666
00:37:55,890 --> 00:37:59,330
of any object
in the solar system.
667
00:37:59,330 --> 00:38:03,160
It's why the planets orbit it,
668
00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:07,300
but planets can also
pull on each other.
669
00:38:07,300 --> 00:38:10,770
Mercury is tiny,
making it most vulnerable
670
00:38:10,770 --> 00:38:14,510
to these gravitational tugs.
671
00:38:14,510 --> 00:38:19,980
After the Sun, the next
biggest object is Jupiter.
672
00:38:19,980 --> 00:38:22,450
We can take computer
models and simulate
673
00:38:22,450 --> 00:38:24,750
Mercury's orbit
as it's affected by Jupiter
674
00:38:24,750 --> 00:38:26,720
to see what happens to Mercury,
675
00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:28,090
and depending
on initial conditions,
676
00:38:28,090 --> 00:38:29,860
a lot of different
things can happen.
677
00:38:29,860 --> 00:38:33,190
But in some percentage
of the models, what can happen
678
00:38:33,190 --> 00:38:36,600
is Mercury's orbit
changes so much
679
00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:38,460
that it actually swings out
680
00:38:38,470 --> 00:38:41,930
and can reach the orbit
of the Earth.
681
00:38:46,210 --> 00:38:50,680
Jupiter is often seen as the
bully of the solar system.
682
00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:53,950
Here, it's Mercury's bodyguard.
683
00:38:53,950 --> 00:38:56,380
Over time, its
gravitational influence
684
00:38:56,380 --> 00:39:01,520
stretches Mercury's orbit
out farther and farther,
685
00:39:01,520 --> 00:39:04,360
and the little world escapes
the Sun's clutches
686
00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:08,090
long before it expands
to a red giant.
687
00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:14,400
But this tale
has one final twist.
688
00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:18,700
It's easy to dismiss Mercury
in the pantheon of planets,
689
00:39:18,710 --> 00:39:22,210
but ignore it at your peril
because there may come a day
690
00:39:22,210 --> 00:39:27,680
when Mercury makes its presence
very well known indeed.
691
00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:30,680
I'd like to think that Mercury
does not bear the solar system
692
00:39:30,690 --> 00:39:33,120
any ill will for
all the hard time
693
00:39:33,120 --> 00:39:36,120
it's been given over
the last 4.5 billion years,
694
00:39:36,120 --> 00:39:40,460
but, you know, that's a long
time to build up a grudge.
695
00:39:40,460 --> 00:39:42,600
Mercury has had
such a difficult past.
696
00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:46,100
It's been beat on by the Sun,
collided with other planets.
697
00:39:46,100 --> 00:39:48,930
Now Mercury could come in and
start wreaking havoc with us,
698
00:39:48,940 --> 00:39:51,770
so maybe we can think of this
as sort of Mercury's revenge.
699
00:39:53,810 --> 00:39:55,510
Billions of years ago,
700
00:39:55,510 --> 00:39:57,480
Earth could well have collided
701
00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:02,250
with the young Mercury,
changing Mercury forever.
702
00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:11,160
And now, it comes face-to-face
with Earth once again...
703
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:20,500
Smashing into our planet
in one, final impact,
704
00:40:20,500 --> 00:40:24,240
wiping out any trace
of the world we know and love.
705
00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:28,070
It would melt our entire crust.
706
00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:31,480
It would wipe out all life
on our planet.
707
00:40:35,920 --> 00:40:39,390
So how worried should
we be about this threat?
708
00:40:39,390 --> 00:40:42,020
The odds of this happening
aren't that high,
709
00:40:42,020 --> 00:40:43,960
and if it happens,
it's going to happen
710
00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:45,590
billions of years in the future.
711
00:40:45,590 --> 00:40:49,300
So I'm not terribly worried
about it on a personal scale,
712
00:40:49,300 --> 00:40:53,500
but as an astronomer and as
a scientist, that's fascinating.
713
00:40:57,870 --> 00:41:00,370
Mercury may continue
to surprise us,
714
00:41:00,370 --> 00:41:03,080
even to its dying day,
715
00:41:03,080 --> 00:41:10,020
a world born in fire that
might also go down in flames.
716
00:41:10,020 --> 00:41:12,020
But the fact that
it made it this far
717
00:41:12,020 --> 00:41:15,290
is nothing short of remarkable.
718
00:41:15,290 --> 00:41:17,890
Living in the toughest
neighborhood imaginable,
719
00:41:17,890 --> 00:41:22,160
Mercury has made it through
the history of the solar system,
720
00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:25,660
beaten, but not broken.
721
00:41:25,670 --> 00:41:28,800
Mercury is one of the solar
system's great survivors.
722
00:41:28,800 --> 00:41:30,770
Despite all of the things
that happened to it,
723
00:41:30,770 --> 00:41:33,270
it's still hanging in there.
724
00:41:33,270 --> 00:41:35,370
It's been subject to
the harshest environment
725
00:41:35,380 --> 00:41:38,910
in the solar system,
and it's still around.
726
00:41:38,910 --> 00:41:42,780
Mercury, you know, has been
attacked from all sides, right?
727
00:41:42,780 --> 00:41:44,680
It's been roasted by the Sun.
728
00:41:44,690 --> 00:41:48,890
It's been pummeled by impactors,
and yet it's still there,
729
00:41:48,890 --> 00:41:50,590
still being a great planet,
730
00:41:50,590 --> 00:41:54,230
this plucky, little survivor
who's still orbiting
731
00:41:54,230 --> 00:41:56,360
despite everything
it's gone through.
732
00:42:01,600 --> 00:42:03,505
This plucky, little survivor
who's still orbiting
59598
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