BepiColombo Flyby Reveals Complex Magnetic Features on Mercury

The spacecraft's brief encounter with Mercury in June 2023 offered new insights into the planet's magnetosphere and plasma environment.

BepiColombo's June 2023 flyby of Mercury allowed scientists to map the planet's magnetic landscape in just 30 minutes.
The spacecraft's instruments detected expected structures like the 'shock' boundary and magnetic 'horns,' but also revealed unexpected features.
Researchers observed a turbulent low-latitude boundary layer with a wide range of particle energies, unprecedented at Mercury.
The presence of energetic hot ions suggests a possible ring current, a phenomenon previously debated by scientists.
BepiColombo's findings link Mercury's surface composition to its plasma environment, revealing ions likely ejected by meteorite impacts or solar wind.