First MESSENGER orbital observations of Mercury's librations

Stark, Alexander and Oberst, Jürgen and Preusker, Frank and Peale, Stanton J. and Margot, Jean-Luc and Phillips, Roger J. and Neumann, Gregory A. and Smith, David E. and Zuber, Maria T. and Solomon, Sean C. (2015) First MESSENGER orbital observations of Mercury's librations. Geophysical Research Letters, 42 (19), pp. 7881-7889. Wiley. doi: 10.1002/2015gl065152. ISSN 0094-8276.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015gl065152

Abstract

We have coregistered laser altimeter profiles from 3 years of MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) orbital observations with stereo digital terrain models to infer the rotation parameters for the planet Mercury. In particular, we provide the first observations of Mercury's librations from orbit. We have also confirmed available estimates for the orientation of the spin axis and the mean rotation rate of the planet. We find a large libration amplitude of 38.9 ± 1.3 arcsec and an obliquity of the spin axis of 2.029 ± 0.085 arcmin, results confirming that Mercury possesses a liquid outer core. The mean rotation rate is observed to be (6.13851804 ± 9.4x10E-7)degrees/d (a spin period of 58.6460768 days ± 0.78 s), significantly higher than the expected resonant rotation rate. As a possible explanation we suggest that Mercury is undergoing long-period librational motion, related to planetary perturbations of its orbit.

Item URL in elib:

https://elib.dlr.de/100866/

Document Type:

Article

Title:

First MESSENGER orbital observations of Mercury's librations

Authors:

Authors	Institution or Email of Authors	Author's ORCID iD	ORCID Put Code
Stark, Alexander	Alexander.Stark (at) dlr.de	https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9110-1138	UNSPECIFIED
Oberst, Jürgen	juergen.oberst (at) dlr.de	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Preusker, Frank	frank.preusker (at) dlr.de	https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9005-4202	UNSPECIFIED
Peale, Stanton J.	Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Margot, Jean-Luc	Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Phillips, Roger J.	Planetary Science Directorate, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Neumann, Gregory A.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Smith, David E.	Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Zuber, Maria T.	Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED
Solomon, Sean C.	Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA	UNSPECIFIED	UNSPECIFIED

Date:

9 September 2015

Journal or Publication Title:

Geophysical Research Letters

Refereed publication:

Yes

Open Access:

Yes

Gold Open Access:

In SCOPUS:

Yes

In ISI Web of Science:

Yes

Volume:

DOI:

10.1002/2015gl065152

Page Range:

pp. 7881-7889

Publisher:

Wiley

ISSN:

0094-8276

Status:

Published

Keywords:

Mercury rotation MESSENGER laser altimetry stereo photogrammetry co-registration

HGF - Research field:

Aeronautics, Space and Transport

HGF - Program:

Space

HGF - Program Themes:

Space Exploration

DLR - Research area:

Raumfahrt

DLR - Program:

R EW - Space Exploration

DLR - Research theme (Project):

R - Vorhaben BepiColombo (old)

Location:

Berlin-Adlershof

Institutes and Institutions:

Institute of Planetary Research > Planetary Geodesy

Deposited By:

Stark, Dr. Alexander

Deposited On:

07 Jan 2016 08:09

Last Modified:

20 Nov 2023 14:15

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