Most planets have a magnetic field, like Earth, but with different strength or structure. It shields the planet from the energetic particles of the solar wind. The origin of the magnetic field is ...

Despite being relatively nearby, very few space probes have visited the solar system's innermost planet. Any spacecraft aiming to study Mercury must accelerate to incredible speeds, and that can take ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An illustration of magnetic fields surrounding Mercury the closest planet to the sun. | Credit: ...

About 4 billion years ago, Mercury’s magnetic field could have been much stronger than today, as indicated by low-altitude observations made by NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft that revealed evidence of ...

BepiColombo is slowly uncovering more and more fun facts about Mercury as it continues its preliminary mission. One of the more interesting things found so far is a magnetic "chorus" that appears ...

Mercury likely has a partly molten core, a new study indicates. This molten material may be generating the planet’s weak magnetic field, whose existence has been a puzzle since its discovery more than ...

The BepiColombo spacecraft may have only made rapid flybys of Mercury, but it is already helping to unravel mysteries surrounding the closest planet to the sun. In 2026, a European Space Agency ...