Large Longitude Libration of Mercury Reveals a Molten Core
Abstract
Observations of radar speckle patterns tied to the rotation of Mercury establish that the planet occupies a Cassini state with obliquity of 2.11 ± 0.1 arc minutes. The measurements show that the planet exhibits librations in longitude that are forced at the 88-day orbital period, as predicted by theory. The large amplitude of the oscillations, 35.8 ± 2 arc seconds, together with the Mariner 10 determination of the gravitational harmonic coefficient C22, indicates that the mantle of Mercury is decoupled from a core that is at least partially molten.
- Publication:
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Science
- Pub Date:
- May 2007
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.1140514
- Bibcode:
- 2007Sci...316..710M
- Keywords:
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- PLANET SCI