BepiColombo measures Mercury's particle bombardment up close

BepiColombo, a joint mission of ESA and JAXA, has captured high-resolution images of Mercury during its fourth flyby on September 4, 2024, coming within 165 kilometers of the planet's surface. The mission's SIXS instrument detected how high-energy particles from a solar eruption penetrated Mercury's magnetic field and struck its surface, revealing the planet's exposed nature. The data, published in Nature Astronomy, show that the particles generated X-ray radiation and altered the surface's composition, providing insights into Mercury's evolution and its lack of atmosphere.

• BepiColombo's orbiters will enter Mercury's orbit in November and separate from each other in December.
• The spacecraft has already flown past Mercury six times during its eight-year journey.
• The fourth flyby was unique as the spacecraft came much closer to the surface than in its final orbit, and a major solar eruption occurred at the right time.
• SIXS measurements help assess how destructive particle radiation would affect Earth's near-space environment during powerful solar storms.

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