Constraints on Mercury’s surface composition from MESSENGER and ground-based spectroscopy

The composition and chemistry of Mercury’s regolith has been calculated from MESSENGER MASCS 0.3-1.3 μm spectra from the first flyby, using an implementation of Hapke’s radiative transfer-based photometric model for light scattering in semi-transparent porous media, and a linear spectral mixing algorithm. We combine this investigation with linear spectral fitting results from mid-infrared spectra and compare derived oxide abundances with mercurian formation models and lunar samples. Hapke modeling results indicate a regolith that is optically dominated by finely comminuted particles with average area weighted grain size near 20 μm. Mercury shows lunar-style space weathering, with maturation-produced microphase iron present at ∼0.065 wt.% abundance, with only small variations between mature and immature sites, the amount of which is unable to explain Mercury’s low brightness relative to the Moon. The average modal mineralogies for the flyby 1 spectra derived from Hapke modeling are 35-70% Na-rich plagioclase or orthoclase, up to 30% Mg-rich clinopyroxene, <5% Mg-rich orthopyroxene, minute olivine, ∼20-45% low-Fe, low-Ti agglutinitic glass, and <10% of one or more lunar-like opaque minerals. Mercurian average oxide abundances derived from Hapke models and mid-infrared linear fitting include 40-50 wt.% SiO₂, 10-35 wt.% Al₂O₃, 1-8 wt.% FeO, and <25 wt.% TiO₂; the inferred rock type is basalt. Lunar-like opaques or glasses with high Fe and/or Ti abundances cannot on their own, or in combination, explain Mercury’s low brightness. The linear mixing results indicate the presence of clinopyroxenes that contain up to 21 wt.% MnO and the presence of a Mn-rich hedenbergite. Mn in M1 crystalline lattice sites of hedenbergite suppresses the strong 1 and 2 μm crystal field absorption bands and may thus act as a strong darkening agent on Mercury. Also, one or more of thermally darkened silicates, Fe-poor opaques and matured glasses, or Mercury-unique Ostwald-ripened microphase iron nickel may lower the albedo. A major part of the total microphase iron present in Mercury’s regolith is likely derived from FeO that is not intrinsic to the crust but has been subsequently delivered by exogenic sources.     

Optical polarimetry of planet mercury

Polarimetric measurements were collected at different areas of the surface of Mercury, and for the whole disk in six wavelengths. The curves of polarization are compared with telescopic observations of the Moon and laboratory studies of minerals and returned lunar samples. The negative branch of polarization proves that Mercury's surface is almost everywhere covered by a regolith layer of fines of the lunar type, also made of dark and adsorbing material, and most probably of the same impact generated origin. The polarization maximum of Mercury is reproduced by lunar samples of fines of intermediate albedo corresponding to the lightest regolith found in the Apollo explored maria.The albedo of Mercury at phase angle 5° deduced from telescopic photometry is to be corrected by a factor of 1.20 and the best “polarimetric” values of albedos are 0.130 at λ = 0.585μm, 0.119 at λ = 0.520 μm, 0.093 at λ = 0.379μm and 0.087 at λ = 0.354μm. The contrast between light and dark-lined regions at the surface of Mercury is most probably much fainter than between the maria and continents on the Moon.The molecular atmosphere of Mercury, if any, has a surface pressure probably smaller than 2 × 10^?4 bars.     

Global photometric properties of Asteroid (4) Vesta observed with Dawn Framing Camera

Dawn spacecraft orbited Vesta for more than one year and collected a huge volume of multispectral, high-resolution data in the visible wavelengths with the Framing Camera. We present a detailed disk-integrated and disk-resolved photometric analysis using the Framing Camera images with the Minnaert model and the Hapke model, and report our results about the global photometric properties of Vesta. The photometric properties of Vesta show weak or no dependence on wavelengths, except for the albedo. At 554 nm, the global average geometric albedo of Vesta is 0.38 ± 0.04, and the Bond albedo range is 0.20 ± 0.02. The bolometric Bond albedo is 0.18 ± 0.01. The phase function of Vesta is similar to those of S-type asteroids. Vesta’s surface shows a single-peaked albedo distribution with a full-width-half-max ∼17% relative to the global average. This width is much smaller than the full range of albedos (from ∼0.55× to >2× global average) in localized bright and dark areas of a few tens of km in sizes, and is probably a consequence of significant regolith mixing on the global scale. Rheasilvia basin is ∼10% brighter than the global average. The phase reddening of Vesta measured from Dawn Framing Camera images is comparable or slightly stronger than that of Eros as measured by the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission, but weaker than previous measurements based on ground-based observations of Vesta and laboratory measurements of HED meteorites. The photometric behaviors of Vesta are best described by the Hapke model and the Akimov disk-function, when compared with the Minnaert model, Lommel–Seeliger model, and Lommel–Seeliger–Lambertian model. The traditional approach for photometric correction is validated for Vesta for >99% of its surface where reflectance is within ±30% of global average.     

Resolved spectroscopy of Mercury in the near-IR with SpeX/IRTF

We present resolved near-infrared spectra of Mercury scanning 70% of the surface in latitude and longitude from three separate observations, allowing us to perform a compositional investigation of its surface. By scanning the surface we find that all spectra in our sample are remarkably similar suggesting overall compositional homogeneity. We do, however, observe a slope difference between the spectra. These slope changes are most likely due to differences in the emission angle over different parts of the surface. We confirm the presence of a 1.1 μm feature that had been previously detected (Warell, J. et al. [2006]. Icarus 180, 281-291) and attributed to Ca-rich clinopyroxene. Finally, we investigated Mercury’s surface composition by comparing its spectrum with ground-based lunar spectra, lunar soil spectra collected in the laboratory, and analysis with a simple linear mixing model using various minerals as end-members. The result of this compositional investigation reveals that Mercury’s surface composition is likely to be quite different from the Moon’s. While low-Ca iron-rich pyroxenes are main surface components on the Moon (abundance varying from ∼5% to ∼35%), their abundance on Mercury may not exceed 5%. We also find that a Ca-rich clinopyroxene (in the hedenbergite-diopside series) is likely to be a main component of Mercury’s surface whereas this mineral is almost absent on the Moon. Our analysis also suggests the possible presence of olivine. We find that Mercury’s slope is less red than that of the Moon, in agreement with results from MESSENGER (McClintock, W.E., and 12 colleagues [2008]. Science 321, 62-65), and composition rather than variation of space weathering is likely the cause of this difference.     

Mercury's spectrophotometric properties: Update from the Mercury Dual Imaging System observations during the third MESSENGER flyby

Presented here are analyses of the photometric measurements acquired by the imaging system on the MESSENGER spacecraft during its three flybys of Mercury, in particular the dedicated sequence of photometric measurements obtained during the third flyby. A concise, analytical approach is adopted for characterizing the effects of scattered light on the images. This approach works well for wavelengths shorter than 700 nm but breaks down at the longer wavelengths where the scattering behavior of the imaging system is more complex. Broadband spectral properties are commensurate with ground-based observations for spectra acquired at phase angles less than 110°; photometric corrections to a common illumination and viewing geometry provide consistent results for those phase angles. No phase reddening is apparent in the image-derived spectra. A bolometric albedo of 0.081 is derived over the wavelength range of the imaging system.     

Properties of the hermean regolith: iii. disk-resolved vis-NIR reflectance spectra and implications for the abundance of iron

Disk-resolved reflectance spectra of the surface of Mercury (longitudes 240-300°), obtained in the visual (vis) and near-infrared (NIR) spectral region, are presented and analyzed. The observations were made at the 2.6-m Nordic Optical Telescope with the ALFOSC low-resolution spectrograph on 20 and 22 June 1999 in the wavelength range 520-970 nm with a footprint size of 700 km on the mid-disk of Mercury. A method which enables more accurate correction for telluric line absorptions and atmospheric extinction than that applied on previously published vis-NIR spectra of Mercury is introduced. The resulting reflectance spectra are remarkably linear, lack significant absorption features, and have optical slopes comparable to remotely sensed lunar pure anorthosites. The relation between spectral slope and photometric geometry found by Warell (2002, Icarus 156, 313-317) is confirmed and is explained as caused by strongly backscattering particles with embedded submicroscopic metallic iron in a mature regolith. With the theoretical maturation model of Hapke (2001, J. Geophys. Res. 106 (E5), 10039-10073) an abundance of 0.05-0.3 wt% submicroscopic metallic iron in the regolith for silicate grain sizes in the range 10-80 μm is determined, implying a ferrous iron content in mafic minerals intrinsically lower than that of the lunar highlands. A binary crustal composition model with anorthite linearly mixed with pyroxene provides better spectral fits than a pure anorthitic composition. Comparison with mature lunar pure anorthosite spectra yields a confident upper limit to the FeO content of 3 wt% under the assumption that the surfaces are similarly matured, but this figure probably represents a considerable overestimate. The average mercurian regolith does not seem to be substantially more weathered than the most mature lunar highland soils in terms of abundance of submicroscopic metallic iron, indicating that a steady-state maturation level has been reached. However, the strong relation between optical spectral slope and photometric geometry may imply that the majority of regolith particles are more fine-grained than their lunar counterparts and that the regolith is admixed with complex agglutinate weathering products which are more abundant and more transparent than those of the lunar highlands. This is consistent with more energetic impacts and a higher rate of impact melt production in an iron-poor regolith. An observed relation between the spectral slope and latitude provides evidence that the Ostwald ripening process may be operating at equatorial latitudes on Mercury.     

Mercury's albedo from Mariner 10: Implications for the presence of ferrous iron

Mariner 10 clear filter (490 nm) images of Mercury were recalibrated and photometrically normalized to produce a mosaic of nearly an entire hemisphere of the planet. Albedo contrasts are slightly larger than seen in the lunar highlands (excluding maria). Variegations indicative of compositional differences include diffuse low albedo units often overlain by smooth plains, the high albedo smooth plains of Borealis Planitia, and high-albedo enigmatic crater floor deposits. A higher level of contrast between immature crater ejecta and average mature material on Mercury compared to the Moon is consistent with a more intense space weathering environment on Mercury that results in a more mature regolith. Immature lunar highlands materials are ∼1.5 times higher in reflectance than analogous immature mercurian materials. Immature materials of the same composition would have the same reflectance on both bodies, thus this observation requires that Mercury's crust contains a significant darkening agent, either opaque minerals or ferrous iron bearing silicates, in abundances significantly higher than those of the lunar highlands. If the darkening agent is opaque minerals (e.g. ilmenite or ulvospinel) Mercury's crust may contain significant ferrous iron and yet not exhibit a 1-μm absorption band.     

Albedo variations on the surface of mercury

Photoelectric photometric (slit) scans of Mercury have been obtained and combined with a man of the surface markings to yield relative normal albedoes over about one quarter of the planet's total surface at a wavelength of 0·45 microns. Maximum albedo ratios at a resolution of one fifth of the planetary diameter are not less than 2 to 1 and probably near 2·5 to 1. The corresponding average lunar value is 2·3 to 1. The blurring effects of seeing conditions on previous visual estimates of Mercury's albedo ratios are briefly discussed.     

Monte Carlo modeling of sodium in Mercury’s exosphere during the first two MESSENGER flybys

We present a Monte Carlo model of the distribution of neutral sodium in Mercury’s exosphere and tail using data from the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft during the first two flybys of the planet in January and September 2008. We show that the dominant source mechanism for ejecting sodium from the surface is photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) and that the desorption rate is limited by the diffusion rate of sodium from the interior of grains in the regolith to the topmost few monolayers where PSD is effective. In the absence of ion precipitation, we find that the sodium source rate is limited to ∼10⁶-10⁷ cm⁻² s⁻¹, depending on the sticking efficiency of exospheric sodium that returns to the surface. The diffusion rate must be at least a factor of 5 higher in regions of ion precipitation to explain the MASCS observations during the second MESSENGER flyby. We estimate that impact vaporization of micrometeoroids may provide up to 15% of the total sodium source rate in the regions observed. Although sputtering by precipitating ions was found not to be a significant source of sodium during the MESSENGER flybys, ion precipitation is responsible for increasing the source rate at high latitudes through ion-enhanced diffusion.     

Constraints on Mercury’s Na exosphere: Combined MESSENGER and ground-based data

We have used observations of sodium emission obtained with the McMath-Pierce solar telescope and MESSENGER’s Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) to constrain models of Mercury’s sodium exosphere. The distribution of sodium in Mercury’s exosphere during the period January 12-15, 2008, was mapped using the McMath-Pierce solar telescope with the 5″ × 5″ image slicer to observe the D-line emission. On January 14, 2008, the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) channel on MASCS sampled the sodium in Mercury’s anti-sunward tail region. We find that the bound exosphere has an equivalent temperature of 900-1200 K, and that this temperature can be achieved if the sodium is ejected either by photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) with a 1200 K Maxwellian velocity distribution, or by thermal accommodation of a hotter source. We were not able to discriminate between the two assumed velocity distributions of the ejected particles for the PSD, but the velocity distributions require different values of the thermal accommodation coefficient and result in different upper limits on impact vaporization. We were able to place a strong constraint on the impact vaporization rate that results in the release of neutral Na atoms with an upper limit of 2.1 × 10⁶ cm⁻² s⁻¹. The variability of the week-long ground-based observations can be explained by variations in the sources, including both PSD and ion-enhanced PSD, as well as possible temporal enhancements in meteoroid vaporization. Knowledge of both dayside and anti-sunward tail morphologies and radiances are necessary to correctly deduce the exospheric source rates, processes, velocity distribution, and surface interaction.     

Lunar photometric properties at wavelengths 0.5-1.6 μm acquired by SELENE Spectral Profiler and their dependency on local albedo and latitudinal zones

The lunar photometric function, which describes the dependency of the observed radiance on the observation geometry, is used for photometric correction of lunar visible/near-infrared data. A precise photometric correction parameter set is crucial for many applications including mineral identification and reflectance map mosaics. We present, for the first time, spectrally continuous photometric correction parameters for both sides of the Moon for wavelengths in the range 0.5-1.6 μm and solar phase angles between 5° and 85°, derived from Kaguya (SELENE) Spectral Profiler (SP) data. Since the measured radiance also depends on the surface albedo, we developed a statistical method for selecting areas with relatively uniform albedos from a nearly 7000-orbit SP data set. Using the selected data set, we obtained empirical photometric correction parameter sets for three albedo groups (high, medium, and low). We did this because the photometric function depends on the albedo, especially at phase angles below about 20° for which the shadow hiding opposition effect is appreciable. We determined the parameters in 160 bands and discovered a small variation in the opposition effect due to the albedo variation of mafic mineral absorption. The consistency of the photometric correction was checked by comparing observations made at different times of the same area on the lunar surface. Variations in the spectra obtained were lower than 2%, except for the large phase angle data in mare. Lastly, we developed a correction method for low solar elevation data, which is required for high latitude regions. By investigating low solar elevation data, we introduced an additional correction method. We used the new photometric correction to generate a 1° mesh global lunar reflectance map cube in a wavelength range of 0.5-1.6 μm. Surprisingly, these maps reveal that high latitude (?75°) regions in both the north and south have much lower spectral continuum slopes (color ratio r_1547.7nm/r_752.8nm ? 1.8) than the low and medium latitude regions, which implies lower degrees of space weathering.     

Properties and Peculiarities of Mercury's Regolith. Disk-integrated Polarimetry in 2000–2002

On the basis of the data from ground-based polarimetric, photometric, and other observations, as well as from space measurements (Mariner 10), we survey the investigations of the properties and peculiarities of Mercury's regolith in detail. We also present the results of our own observations performed during three apparitions of the planet in 2000–2002. An analysis of the published data points to essentially more intensive maturation processes in the Hermean surface regolith compared to that on the lunar surface. In addition, the orbital characteristics of Mercury allow us to suppose that the intensity of its regolith maturation and, therefore, the optical properties of its surface can noticeably depend on the planetocentric longitude. Polarimetric observations of Mercury's surface (the planetocentric longitude range was 265°–330°) carried out in 2000–2002 with a 70-cm reflector actually detected a polarization degree varying with an amplitude of about 1.5%. To ascertain the nature of these variations, additional observations of Mercury in a maximally wide range of planetocentric longitudes of the viewed surface are required.     

A Hapke model implementation for compositional analysis of VNIR spectra of Mercury

An implementation of Hapke’s radiative transfer-based photometric model for light scattering in semi-transparent porous media is presented with special emphasis on the analysis of reflectance spectra of Mercury. The model allows intimate mixing of an arbitrary number of regolith components with varying modal abundances, modal chemistries and grain sizes, matured by microphase iron. Reflectance spectra of suites of silicates of varying grain sizes and chemistries are used to calculate the imaginary coefficient of the complex index of refraction as a function of chemistry, thus limiting the modeling effects of chemically atypical laboratory samples, and allowing controlled modeling of minerals with varying chemical compositions. The performance of the model in the visual to near-infrared wavelength range is evaluated for a range of chemically characterized silicate mixtures of terrestrial powders, meteorite powders, matured lunar return samples, and remotely sensed lunar spectra.     

Properties of the Hermean regolith: IV. Photometric parameters of Mercury and the Moon contrasted with Hapke modelling

A comparison of the photometric properties of Mercury and the Moon is performed, based on their integral phase curves and disk-resolved image data of Mercury obtained with the Swedish Vacuum Solar Telescope. Proper absolute calibration of integral V-band magnitude observations reveals that the near-side of the Moon is 10-15% brighter than average Mercury, and 0-5% brighter for the “bolometric” wavelength range 400-1000 nm. As shown, this is supported by recent estimates of their geometric albedos. Hapke photometric parameters of their surfaces are derived from identical approaches, allowing a contrasting study between their surface properties to be performed. Compared to the average near-side Moon, Mercury has a slightly lower single-scattering albedo, an opposition surge with smaller width and of marginally smaller amplitude, and a somewhat smoother surface with similar porosity. The width of the lobes of the single-particle scattering function are smaller for Mercury, and the backward scattering anisotropy is stronger. In terms of the double Henyey-Greenstein b-c parameter plot, the scattering properties of an average particle on Mercury is closer to the properties of lunar maria than highlands, indicating a higher density of internal scatterers than that of lunar particles. The photometric roughness of Mercury is well constrained by the recent study of Mallama et al. (2002, Icarus 155, 253-264) to a value of about 8°, suggesting that the surfaces sampled by the highest phase angle observations (Borealis, Susei, and Sobkou Planitia) are lunar mare-like in their textural properties. However, Mariner 10 disk brightness profiles obtained at intermediate phase angles indicate a surface roughness of about twice this value. The photometric parameters of the Moon are more difficult to constrain due to limited phase angle coverage, but the best Hapke fits are provided by rather small surface roughnesses. Better-calibrated, multiple-wavelength observations of the integral and disk-resolved brightnesses of both bodies, and obtained at higher phase angle values in the case of the Moon, are urgently needed to arrive at a more consistent picture of the contrasting light scattering properties of their surfaces.     

Probable swirls detected as photometric anomalies in Oceanus Procellarum

Images of the lunar nearside obtained by telescopes of Maidanak Observatory (Uzbekistan) and Simeiz Observatory (Crimea, Ukraine) equipped with Canon CMOS cameras and Sony CCD LineScan camera were used to study photometric properties of the lunar nearside in several spectral bands. A wide range of lunar phase angles was covered, and the method of phase ratios to assess the steepness of the phase function at different phase angles is applied. We found several areas with photometric anomalies in the south-west portion of the lunar disk that we refer to as Oceanus Procellarum anomalies. The areas being unique on the lunar nearside do not obey the inverse correlation between albedo and phase-curve slope, demonstrating high phase-curve slopes at intermediate albedo. Low-Sun images acquired with Lunar Orbiter IV and Apollo-16 cameras do not reveal anomalous topography of the regions, at least for scales larger than several tens of meters. The areas also do not have any thermal inertia, radar (70 and 3.8 cm), magnetic, or chemical/mineral peculiarities. On the other hand they exhibit a polarimetric signature that we interpret to be due to the presence of a porous regolith upper layer consisting of dust particles. The anomalies may be interpreted as regions of very fresh shallow regolith disturbances caused by impacts of meteoroid swarms consisting of rather small impactors. This origin is similar to one of the hypotheses for the origin of lunar swirls like the Reiner-γ formation. The photometric difference between the shallow and pervasive (Reiner-γ class) swirls is that the latter appear to have a significant amount of immature soils in the upper surface layers.     

The Structure of the Surface of Mercury's Regolith from Remote Sensing Data

Long experience of ground-based and cosmic studies of the Moon has shown that space-weathering processes play a key role in the formation of the surface layers of atmosphereless bodies. Undoubtedly, the surface of Mercury, which is subjected to the same processes, is covered by a mantle of shattered rocks—the regolith. The structure of the reflecting layer determines the photometric and polarization characteristics of the surface of a planetary body. Despite the general similarity of the integral optical properties of the surfaces of Mercury and the Moon, specific characteristics of the media of these celestial bodies manifest themselves as certain differences in the details of the measured parameters. Moreover, the similarity to the Moon permits in-depth interpretation of the results of remote observations of Mercury, such as integral polarimetry and integral spectropolarimetry. The data obtained suggest that the general structure of the surface layer of the Mercurian regolith is very similar to the structure of the lunar soil, although it is somewhat smoother and probably has a greater amount of the fine-grained fraction. The soil maturity matches the content of about 80% of the secondary particles. At the same time, the exposure age of the soil, which has the same degree of maturity, is less than the age of the soil formed under lunar conditions.     

Surface properties and effective resolution from ground-based observations of Mercury

A detailed study to evaluate ground-based photographs of Mercury has been carried out. Models of the surface scattering properties have been assumed and smeared with a Gaussian function for direct comparison with center-to-limb scans along Mercury's intensity equator. Data from a range of phase angles from 31° to 92° have been compared with smeared models assuming a Lambert surface, a surface which obeys the Lommel-Seeliger law and one which is Minnaertian, having a variable coefficient. Within the limits of the observations a lunar Minnaert surface yields the most consistent interpretation. An objective evaluation of the resolution of the photographs is obtained in terms of Gaussian half-widths.     

The apparent lack of lunar-like swirls on Mercury: Implications for the formation of lunar swirls and for the agent of space weathering

Images returned by the MESSENGER spacecraft from the Mercury flybys have been examined to search for anomalous high-albedo markings similar to lunar swirls. Several features suggested to be swirls on the basis of Mariner 10 imaging (in the craters Handel and Lermontov) are seen in higher-resolution MESSENGER images to lack the characteristic morphology of lunar swirls. Although antipodes of large impact basins on the Moon are correlated with swirls, the antipodes of the large impact basins on Mercury appear to lack unusual albedo markings. The antipodes of Mercury’s Rembrandt, Beethoven, and Tolstoj basins do not have surface textures similar to the “hilly and lineated” terrain found at the Caloris antipode, possibly because these three impacts were too small to produce obvious surface disturbances at their antipodes. Mercury does have a class of unusual high-reflectance features, the bright crater-floor deposits (BCFDs). However, the BCFDs are spectral outliers, not simply optically immature material, which implies the presence of material with an unusual composition or physical state. The BCFDs are thus not analogs to the lunar swirls. We suggest that the lack of lunar-type swirls on Mercury supports models for the formation of lunar swirls that invoke interaction between the solar wind and crustal magnetic anomalies (i.e., the solar-wind standoff model and the electrostatic dust-transport model) rather than those models of swirl formation that relate to cometary impact phenomena. If the solar-wind standoff hypothesis for lunar swirls is correct, it implies that the primary agent responsible for the optical effects of space weathering on the Moon is solar-wind ion bombardment rather than micrometeoroid impact.     

Visual and radiometric photometry of 1580 Betulia

We obtained broadband visual and 10.6-μm photometry of 1580 Betulia during its close approach to Earth in May 1976. We analyzed our photometry by using the “radiometric method” to derive the radius (2.10 ± 0.40 km) and albedo (0.108 ± 0.012) of Betulia. Radar and polarimetric results indicate a radius greater than 3.0 km and a geometric albedo of about 0.05. To be compatible with these results we also modeled Betulia as having a surface with the thermal characteristics of bare rock rather than those of the “lunar” regolith model used for previous analysis of radiometry of other asteroids. A 3.7-km radius and a geometric albedo of ～0.04 are compatible with all available observations. Betulia is the first Mars-crossing asteroid found to have such a low albedo, which may be indicative of carbonaceous surface material.