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Maps of Solar Wind Plasma Precipitation onto Mercury's Surface: A Geographical Perspective

Henri, Pierre; Aizawa, Sae; Raines, Jim M. +7 more

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, possesses a weak intrinsic magnetic field, and has only a very tenuous atmosphere (exosphere). These three conditions result in a direct coupling between the plasma emitted from the Sun (namely, the solar wind) and Mercury's surface. The planet's magnetic field leads to a nontrivial pattern of plasma preci…